Marcos orders NIA reorganization, return to OP

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has placed the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) back in the Office of the President (OP) for closer management to boost agricultural production and ensure food security.

Executive Order 69, signed on Sept. 5 by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, transferred the NIA from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to the OP.

“It is imperative to streamline and rationalize the functional relationships of agencies with complementary mandates to promote coordination, efficiency and coherence within the bureaucracy,” the EO read.

EO 168, issued in April 2022, transferred NIA to the DA from the OP.

Meanwhile, Malacañang yesterday published Administrative Order 25, which added the DA and the Department of Education to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, chaired by Marcos.

The two agencies’ inclusion as NEDA Board members “shall further integrate agriculture and education into broader socioeconomic policies, plans and programs,” AO 25, signed on Sept. 5 by Bersamin, stated.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said EO 69 would be “game-changing” for the agriculture sector.

Transferring the NIA to OP, he said, would address the need for substantial funding to irrigate about 1.2 million hectares of land.

The DA’s proposed 2025 budget amounted to P512 billion, but it was reduced to P200.2 billion by the Department of Budget and Management upon submission to Congress. — Brix Lelis