NIA Central Office – President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Administrator Engr. Eddie G. Guillen joined farmer-leaders nationwide during the 2026 National Irrigation Administration–National Confederation of Irrigators’ Associations (NIA–NCIA) General Assembly and Inspection to the NIA Command Center on February 24, 2026 in Diliman, Quezon City.
The General Assembly served as a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and alignment of programs between the government and Irrigators’ Associations (IAs) across the country. With the President as Keynote Speaker, the activity emphasized the administration’s strong commitment to food security, irrigation modernization, and farmer empowerment.
One of the highlights of the event was the Manifesto of Support to the President, led by NCIA President Hon. Remy N. Albano. The confederation plays a vital role in representing and advancing the interests of IAs nationwide and remains a key partner of NIA in strengthening participatory irrigation management and promoting sustainable agricultural development.
At present, NCIA is composed of 17 Regional Confederations of IAs (RCIAs), including two Division Confederations, namely, the Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS) and the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS), which all comprise 97 Provincial Confederations of IAs (PCIAs). As of December 31, 2025, NIA recorded 11,178 organized IAs nationwide, covering 1,685,282.21 hectares, with 1,276,249 farmer-beneficiaries and 1,165,014 farmer-members.
Following the General Assembly, President Marcos inspected the NIA Command Center, lauding the Agency’s digital systems for real-time monitoring, coordination, and data-driven decision-making.
The NIA Command Center was established as part of NIA’s modernization and digital transformation initiatives to address the growing need for faster access to information, stronger inter-office coordination, and proactive disaster preparation and response. It was constructed in parallel with the modernization of the Dam Monitoring System, resulting in the development of Systematized Telemetry Over Remote Monitoring (STORM), a centralized database management system.
The Command Center now serves as the Agency’s supervisory installation for the Flood Forecasting and Warning System (FFWS), overseeing the operations of NIA’s major dams, such as Magat, Pantabangan, and Bustos Dams, during both normal and abnormal conditions. Equipped with modern systems and technologies, it utilizes innovative platforms, such as AgroScout and Tomorrow.io, to further enhance decision-making and operational efficiency.
AgroScout uses artificial intelligence, drone technology, and satellite imagery to detect pests, crop diseases, and nutrient deficiencies in real time, helping reduce unnecessary costs while boosting crop yields. Complementing this is Tomorrow.io, a smart weather forecasting system that delivers accurate, hyper-local information on rainfall, wind strength, and changing weather conditions. This enables NIA officials to make timely, data-driven interventions.
During the pre-program, NIA Administrator Guillen and National Water Resources Board (NWRB) Executive Director Dr. Sevillo D. David, Jr. signed the Joint Implementing Guidelines for the NWRB-NIA-WRMO Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). In support for the NCIA, the Agrispecialist, Inc. donated 200,000 kilograms (200 metric tons) of BIO N Azospirillum-based microbial inoculant which can replace 400,000 bags of urea worth P720 million.
The successful conduct of the NIA-NCIA National Forum and the Inspection of the NIA Command Center is a testament to the government’s continuing commitment to strengthening collaboration with farmers and modernizing irrigation governance toward a more resilient and food-secure Philippines.
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