Are we just going to watch our farm fields drown?
Underserved farm fields drowned and the agriculture sector lost at least P3.62 billion as the southwest monsoon caused flooding in the country, especially Luzon. This brought extreme impacts on livelihoods and food security, but we have yet to see another season of rains submerge future crops and put them to waste. Farmers suffer constant losses from flooding that could have been mitigated with money lost to corruption in flood control projects.
The Philippines unfortunately sits in the middle of the Pacific Typhoon Belt, making it vulnerable to an average of 20 typhoons annually. For decades, severe rains have resulted in an annual loss of 500,000 to 600,000 metric tons of rice production. The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has long identified the primary cause, namely, the lack of an adequate drainage system, but a supposed master plan remains blank, perhaps for two reasons: the natural complexity of building a drainage system, considering environmental factors such as topography, or the administration’s carelessness toward agriculture.
In August 2025, the Department of Agriculture called for support for dual-purpose projects for irrigation while mitigating farm floods with an initial estimate of P100 billion. Even a portion of it, which could have helped salvage farming communities today, did not reach the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2026 because of the zero allocation barring new flood control projects. Entirely slashing the budget for the scandalous projects was, of course, convenient, simply to lay political noise low, but the lowest actors in the agriculture sector faced the harsh aftermath. That P3.62 billion loss matters because it’s the cost of smallholder farmers’ wasted time and effort.
What is more important than protecting our crops? Because in GAA 2026, maybe it’s the projects, such as endless renovations and repairs, under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which has a budget of P530.89 billion—more than twice the amount for agriculture. On the other hand, although NIA secured P63.25 billion for irrigation projects, there is a notable dominance of small repair projects highly akin to the DPWH scheme.
A nationwide master plan is crucial in the Philippine environmental context, both for urban and agricultural areas. Systematic understanding of water flow should end the scattering of isolated projects that overlook their interference with each other, often resulting in the lowest-lying or flat communities becoming the deadlock basins. It is complex and requires heavy engineering, which is substantively discussed in an Inquirer article by Dr. Teodoro Mendoza, Ph.D., on “Luzon Flood Basin Programme.” My personal takeaway is that no matter how complex a situation is, proper budget allocations ensure it can be solved.
But we must admit, it would take years for such a system to develop. As alternatives, the government should consider expanding and strengthening its support for genetically modified climate-resilient crops and even the gradual shift to silvoarable agroforestry (simultaneously growing agricultural and horticultural crops). These may not barricade the floods brought by rains, but they may protect farmers from total loss. Any option is better than letting farmers watch their fields drown.
It all comes down to the discussion on 2027 expenditures. Slashing the budget for flood control for political theater must come to an end because it worsens the problem. We need a well-studied budget, and a flood mitigation master plan considering every community as one. Solons should also scrutinize the P36.59 billion cut for agriculture and agrarian reform.
Looking at farmers’ woes amid this major crop loss intensifies my disappointment. I see no reason for the government to disregard these people who basically keep our nation alive.
Yohan Domingo,
cogiejohndomingo@gmail.com
