Farmers picket DA over irrigation fees

MANILA, Philippines – More than 200 farmers from different provinces all over the country staged a rally in front of the Department of Agriculture yesterday, urging drought-hit farmers to stop paying irrigation service fees.

The farmers said the National Irrigation Administration, despite its “negligence in the face of drought,” enjoys a budget of P32 billion for 2016.

“It is all the more just and legitimate for farmers to boycott payments of irrigation service fees,” they said.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairman Rafael Mariano said while all the presidential candidates have promised free irrigation, “none of them have outlined on how to do it.”
Noting that more than 80 percent of the country’s provinces were affected by the drought, “the demand for free irrigation services and irrigation development has become more urgent, just and legitimate.”