Capitol’s P9.5-M Water Irrigation Project Benefits 5 Island Villages

When Dr. Romulo G. Davide requested the irrigation officials to distribute lake waters in the parched farmlands in San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu, he was rejected.

“Di kuno na mahimo kay asgad (It is reportedly not possible because it’s salty),” Davide quoted them as saying on using the waters from Lake Danao for irrigation.

Instead of getting devastated, Davide and a team of his farmer-scientist training program (FSTP) beneficiaries took this as a challenge.

In his report narrating the challenges while pursuing the project, Davide said that the salt content of the water was only 0.2 percent, citing the University of the Philippines Los Baños-biotech certificate of analysis.

Davide’s team experimented on the lake water and started irrigating this to the “experimental farms” in 2013.

Davide’s team planted corn, camote, cassava, vegetables, banana and coconut using waters from Lake Danao.

All their plants were growing very well.

The experiment proved to be successful, which also paved the way for the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) to support the program.

Now, six barangays in San Francisco town are enjoying the success of this program, when most part of the region are suffering the effects of the dry spell. These barangays, which are located around Lake Danao, are Sta. Cruz, Union, North Poblacion, Esperanza, Campo and Cabongaan. Two of these barangays already have solar pumps used for irrigation.

These villages are using the lake water for irrigation, for household need like washing and even for cooking.

On Tuesday, June 11, the Cebu Provincial Government, through consultant on agriculture Davide and Provincial Agriculture Office Chief Roldan Saragena, led the inauguration and turnover of the P9.5-million solar pump irrigation project in Barangay Sta. Cruz.

Also present during the ceremonies were Vice Mayor and Mayor-elect Alfredo Arquillano, NIA assistant manager Nelson Miralles, NIA administration officer Aileen Garcia and the top leaders of the beneficiary barangays.

The project includes reservoir tanks, pipelines, and water outlet valves, which will be able to irrigate 32 hectares of farmlands and to benefit 150 farmers of Sta. Cruz.

This is the second solar pump project jointly sponsored by Capitol and NIA.

The first one is the P5.4-million solar pump irrigation project in Barangay Union, which was inaugurated in July 2018.

Earlier that day, Davide, Saragena and Arquillano were at Barangay Union and inaugurated the Capitol-funded Farmers’ Trading Center.

This P1.3-million facility called the Bagsakan Center serves as the venue for farmers and FSTP members to display their produce. (Cebu Provincial Govt.)