What they did not say:

Mabini-Cayacay impounding

solves flooding in brgy Napo

TAGBILARAN CITY Bohol (PIA)— Amidst the hype created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s turnover of the P828 million Mabini Cayacay Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (SRIP), the 32.2 meter high earth-fill that collects over 3 million cubic meters of rain saves hectares of ricelands in Barangay Napo, from flooding.

Now standing as the gigantic barrier for the flood waters that occasionally swamp the rice-fields of Napo, as the confluence of Baujanan and Kawasan creeks channel the rainwater collected in the hundreds of hectares of palay and cogon-field rolling hills, is now managed by the impounding.

And this hardly came up as an added facility feature, during the inauguration which was officiated by no less than President Marcos, National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) Administrator Engr. Eduardo Guillen, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado and Mabini Mayor Grace Ongie Bernales Lim and Alicia mayor Marciano Ayuban Jr.

“Sa pamamagitan ng proyektong ito, masusuportahan ang irigasyon sa 530 ektarya na sakahan sa limang barangay sa Mabini at Alicia dito sa Bohol,” President Marcos said.

According to the NIA, farmers here are basically tending rain-fed farms: and can only plant when conditions are ripe, during the wet cropping season.

Dahil sa sapat na suplay ng tubig, inaasahan nating tataas ang ani, lalo na ng palay at mga high-value vegetable crop. Dagdag pa diyan, mula sa dalawang beses sa isang taon na pagtatanim, puwede nang magtanim ang ating mga magsasaka nang three – tatlong planting sa isang taon, he added.

With the potential source of a secure food supply for Bohol, the president said there would be lesser worry of the effects of the drought, because farmers now have irrigation support.

On the other hand, NIA Administrator Guillen, told the community gathered for the official ceremonies, that aside from irrigation, the facility has the potential for aquaculture, tourism and power generation.

To this, Mabini Mayor Grace Ongie Lim in interviews also shared the town’s plan to ask NIA for an agreement to grant the town water rights from the impounding for domestic use.

Above all these, farmers from Cayacay and Napo in Alicia town have noticed something when the embankment started to collect water.

Pagka-karon, wala na’y baha, dili na molunop ang area, maka-ani na gyud sila, shared 61 years old farmer from Cayacay, Roberto Libres Tuyor, adding that planted rice them rots when the floods, which do not subside for days, come.

Pinaagi dani (Mabini-Cayacay SRIP), makontrol na ang tubig, kay inig apaw, abrihan man ang didto, meaning other gates that would divert the flood water to vast areas that lack irrigation water, so the farms which were rainfed could also benefit.

Similarly, farmer beneficiary Dionisio Ugay said “Naa may control didto sa diversion, nga ang tubig gikan sa taas, gipatipas nganhi ug gipasulod sa dam. DIli na kaaju daghana ng tubig nga molahus didto sa sapa kay naa na man sa dam magdugang sa kadaghanon sa tubig nga mapundo.”

In Napo, Alicia, occasional signs of flooding can be seen in low-lying areas, usually in rice fields and roads that run parallel to rice paddies.

Although not necessarily threatened by the gentle flow of the Baujanan and Kawasan creeks, it is the occasional rains that fall in the rolling hills and plains in what is now the impounding facility that overflow the creeks and in hours, could flood the low ricelands.

With enough water to irrigate 530 hectares of rice lands, it would be hard to miss how much volume of water is released during a typhoon or a strong rainfall here.

Simply, the P828-million Mabini-Cayacay SRIP is now just a premier government assistance to increase planting frequency and exponentially increasing harvests for the 717 farmer beneficiaries, the artificial structure also provides additional protection to the life and property of the farmers of Napo, whose farms go well are beyond the irrigation coverage.

And with the irrigation facility in full operation, water excess water that continues to flow into the creeks still enable farmers below to still continue their cropping, with lesser worries of swamping water that ruins their crops. (PIAbohol)

MULTI-USE IMPOUNDING. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., shares how the Mabini-Cayacay SRIP can help the lives of 717 farmer families who can now plant three times in a year with the irrigation water available. Here, before the SRIP, farmers can only do wet cropping, with rain-fed farms supplemented by two small creeks. (PIABohol)

WELCOMING THE PRESIDENT. Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado and Mabini Mayor Grace Ongie Lim welcome President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as he arrives in the lake side NIA office compound and venue for the turn-over of irrigation facility that can serve 530 hectares of farmlands. (PIAbohol)

NO MORE FLOODING. Farmer beneficiary Dionesio Ugay says since water is now managed at the impounding, at the time when the water is overflowing, NIA can open canals to direct excess water to underserved farm areas, that avert flooding in Napo, allows farmers to save their crops during rainy days and for the less productive lands where irrigation is now provided, it means better harvest. (PIAbohol)

Crumbling canals part of 2011

facility undergoing NIA repair

TAGBILARAN CITY Bohol (PIA)— True to his agency’s tagline “tuloy ang daloy,” National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Visayas Regional Manager Engr. Eusebio Villamanto would rather keep the irrigation facility working than start pinpointing the blame for a viral video that shows crumbling siphon canals of the newly inaugurated Mabini Cayacay Small Reservoir Irrigation Project.

The siphon canals, built in 2011 way before the idea of the Mabini-Cayacay SRIP got funded, have been exposed to elements, added NIA engineering section chief Engr. Allan Revita, during the recent Kapihan sa PIA.

Both Revita and Villamanto were still now in their positions now to be fully conversant of the details of the project in 2011, also said NIA has already known about the dilapidated state of some old canals that have become incorporated with the 187 canal structures and the 21,555.62 meters of it plus some 3.6 kilometers of farm ditches.

“Noong natapos na natin yung project, so, meron na tayong dam, natapos na natin yung mga pasilidad, mga canalita (gutter canals), we have to check, na pagbukas natin ng tubig, dadaloy talaga, nag test run, but bago nag test run, tiningnan naming yung lahat ba na canal sa networks na dadaanan, ay maayos,” he explained the critical steps prior to testing.

Admittedly naman, nuong ti-nest natin ang siphon net, ito ay critical structure, meyrong kailangan na ng repair, RM Villamanto said over the internet streamed program at PIA.

Because of that, as early as last year, NIA has requested the central office for repair and rehabilitation allocations, and budget allocations came in, initiating the start of repairs, in 2025.

If these siphon canals, which are critical structures are not repaired, irrigation water could only get to some 80 of the 530 hectares of farms which the dam is designed to serve, also explains NIA operations Chief Engr Maria Donesa Autida.

NIA also recalls that the time the plan to build the facility, there were already few fund releases for the farm communities in the area and the move was to build the canal structures, while Bohol officials led by then Governor Edgar Chatto continue to lobby for funding, while hoping that Arthur Yap, who used to sit as the Department of Agriculture secretary and elected Congressman for Bohol’s third District, could help.

True enough, by June of 2017, former DA Secretary and Bohol Third District Representative Arthur Yap led the ground breaking of the project that was then pegged at P725 million, and was to help about 320 farmers as reported.

The project, which was supposed to be completed in a little after two years, took a lot longer to complete, especially with the pandemic re-aligning government project funds for COVID measures.

In September of 2025, when President Marcos inaugurated and turned over the Calunasan SRIP, he talked about the Mabini Cayacay as another project due for completion for Bohol, one he would see to its opening.

Nine months later, the P828 million facility which is built to create an impounding that could increase water storage and reach more farmer beneficiaries opened with the president personally leading the ceremonies.

In Alicia and Mabini, farmer beneficiaries of Mabini Cayacay SRIP shared that during the test run operations in 2025, some 80 hectares of rain-fed farms started getting regular water services during the first cropping, and another 80 hectares were again reached as the continuing repair and rehabilitation of the old canals continue, shared Dionisio Gulle Curay, Board of trustees of the Mabini-Cayacay Irrigators Association.

Lahi na jud kaaju pagka karon nga naa nay tubig. Na improve na ang among ani, kau sa niagi jud, wa’ may tubig, unja og mahurot na ang tubig sa sapa, wa‘ na ‘mi mabomba, so naa juy usahay nga di mi maani, Abundio Curan, 59 years olf of Cabidian Mabini shared.

With the irrigation facility now operational, from 20 sacks of harvest in his half a hectare of farmlands, the provision of irrigation has resulted in some 60 sacks of harvest, even when a significant portion of his farm was attacked by pests.

In yet another ocular inspection he shared on Facebook, Board Member Nathaniel Binlod last Thursday, explained that indeed the crumbling canals on the viral vlog, have been part of the old structures and is undergoing NIA repair and rehabilitation.

As the NIA continues its program to repair and rehabilitate more canals, RM Villamanto reiterated that before him, he is certain NIA officials were making sure they could account for the works, noting the documents needed to ascertain the project usability before accepting it.

What is important is that we have a project that could change the lives of people and it can only do that when the irrigation water reaches the farms that need the irrigation most, and that is what NIA is doing, he told the PIA.

At a time when public trust in government has been affected by issues of corruption and inefficiency, NIA in Region 7 and in Bohol, have remained to be focused on the job at hand: keep the irrigation water flowing, and then people’s lives would improve. (PIABohol)

NO FINGERPOINTING. Instead of pressing on the blame to others, which could potentially hold official functions to a standstill, NIA 7 Regional manager Engr. Eusebio Villamanto would rather keep the irrigation water flowing, as NIA picks “tuloy ang daloy,” aggressively going for repairs and rehabilitation rather than simply washing his hands. (PIAbohol)