Marcos unveils key Cagayan projects to spur trade, food security
CAMALANIUGAN, CAGAYAN—President Marcos on Tuesday led a series of infrastructure and agricultural initiatives in Cagayan province, inaugurating the P487.46-million Union Water Impounding Dam in Claveria and inspecting the nearly completed P2.09-billion Camalaniugan-Aparri Bridge.
During these visits, Mr. Marcos announced the government aims to complete 147 rice processing centers nationwide by the end of 2025 to boost postharvest productivity. Three of these will be built in Cagayan, handling drying, milling, and polishing operations.
The President directed the National Food Authority to ramp up palay procurement at P18 to P19 per kilo for wet palay and P21 to P23 for dry palay to stabilize prices currently suppressed by traders buying at only P8 to P10 per kilo.
He said the government will also expand crop insurance coverage, provide more farm machinery, and distribute seed subsidies to help farmers recover and strengthen food security.
Farm support
According to the President, farmers will be provided with trucks, high-yield rice varieties, and seed subsidies to further strengthen agricultural support and food security efforts.
Cagayan Gov. Edgar Aglipay welcomed the development, saying the projects would significantly improve rice production, processing, and marketing across the province.
During the inauguration of the Union Dam, Marcos lauded it as a key project that would help reduce flooding, enhance irrigation, and boost ecotourism in the province.
The dam now provides a stable water supply to more than 3,000 hectares of farmland, directly benefiting over 3,500 farmers. It also serves as a flood mitigation structure, protecting low-lying communities during heavy rains.
Mr. Marcos also expressed optimism that the Camalaniugan-Aparri Bridge will be opened by Christmas this year. The bridge connects the two towns separated by the Cagayan River. The project, now 89.26 percent-complete with a 1.82-percent negative slippage as of Sept. 30, is targeted for completion by February 2026.
Philippine National Railways Corp. director Eulogio Agatep Jr., a former mayor of Lasam, said the bridge will be a “key infrastructure link for trade and mobility in northern Cagayan,” easing traffic flow and facilitating the transport of goods between the two towns.
The project is being undertaken by Hunan Road and Bridge Corp. in partnership with Agafer Construction and Trading.
