Congressional scrutiny of agricultural disaster planning has highlighted unmetered operational gaps in weather modification and pest control despite significant funds committed under the 2026 budget.
During a House Committee on Agriculture and Food inquiry into El Niño preparedness under House Resolution No. 967, Department of Agriculture (DA) officials addressed funding allocations designed to maintain food production, safeguard agricultural income, and stabilize retail prices.
DA Assistant Secretary for Operations U-Nichols A. Manalo detailed the department’s P61.99-billion consolidated action plan during the hearing, prompting committee chairman and Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga to question the current status of the funds.
“So, just for clarification, this is available?” Enverga asked.
“Yes, sir, this is chargeable to 2026,” Manalo replied.
The exchange confirmed that the multi-billion allocation is sourced directly from the DA’s 2026 budget under the General Appropriations Act.
The total action plan incorporates P6.2 billion already disbursed under the government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Program. Additionally, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. cited a proposed P10-billion allocation for the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk program for 2027, subject to congressional budget approval.
Manalo outlined the agency’s primary operational directives as head of the government’s interagency food security cluster.
“We are aligning responses in relation to the three outcomes,” Manalo said.
Crop protection accounts for the main share of the spending package.
“This is actually the bulk of the budget, 35 billion,” Manalo also said, noting the funds are designated for production inputs, including seeds, planting materials, and fertilizers.
Water management interventions cover the construction and rehabilitation of irrigation systems, solar-powered facilities, and small water impounding projects. Cloud-seeding operations, executed by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management with DOST-PAGASA and the Philippine Air Force, remain active over key locations.
Manalo cited Pantabangan and Bohol in his cloud-seeding operational update while noting that funding constraints threaten continued flights.
“We are requesting additional funding,” Manalo added.
Official agency disclosures confirmed P371 million in unfunded interventions, specifically affecting cloud-seeding expansion and containment efforts against the red-striped soft scale insect impacting sugarcane production.
Disaster financing measures intended to reduce income losses among farmers and fisherfolk include crop insurance and credit access via the Agricultural Credit Policy Council.
For logistics and transport under the UPLIFT initiative, Manalo cited approximately P3 billion, split evenly at P1 billion for farmers’ fuel, P1 billion for fisherfolk’s fuel, and P1 billion for transport operator support.
Consumer-focused measures include price monitoring, market surveillance, transport logistics, and Kadiwa ng Pangulo caravans.
The department also presented vulnerability mapping for rice production zones facing potential water shortages from January to March, alongside an inventory of small-scale irrigation infrastructure. The committee discussed publishing the monitoring maps online for public access.