Marking a historic milestone for food security in Eastern Visayas, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially inaugurated the Hibulangan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (HSRIP) today, April 30, 2026, signaling a transformative shift for thousands of local rice farmers.

In his message, PBBM emphasized the importance of having this project. “𝘐𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘬𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘴. 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘰𝘯, 𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰, 𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘬𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘢 𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨-𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘢 𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘨, 𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘰 𝘱𝘢.”

[This is an example of a large-scale project across the Philippines. From having only one harvest per year—I was surprised to find out that they only planted once here—now there will be two, and if we manage the water properly, it might even reach three.]

The P1.1-billion project, implemneted under the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), stands as a testament to the administration’s commitment to modernizing the country’s agricultural infrastructure. With a massive reservoir capacity of 9.01 million cubic meters, the HSRIP is designed to address the perennial challenge of water scarcity during the dry season, providing a reliable and steady supply of irrigation water year-round.

The project’s impact is set to be immediate and far-reaching, covering a total service area of 2,750 hectares of prime farmland. The irrigation network extends across the three key agricultural municipalities of Villaba, Matag-ob, and Kananga, directly benefiting 1,821 farmer-beneficiaries.

Joining the President was Department of Agriculture RFO8 OIC Regional Executive Director Rodel Macapanas, whose presence underscored the DA’s continued and intensified support for the agriculture sector in Region VIII.

For years, farmers in these Leyte towns relied heavily on inconsistent rainfall, often facing significant losses during prolonged dry spells. With the activation of the HSRIP, these farmlands will soon be transformed by reliable irrigation, ensuring better harvests and creating stronger, more resilient communities. As the floodgates open, the province of Leyte takes a giant leap forward in its journey toward becoming a more self-sufficient agricultural powerhouse.