01/10/2026
SUNLIGHT FOR THE FIELDS: NIA SOLAR IRRIGATION PROJECT MOVES FROM PLAN TO PROMISE
A project begins long before the first post is driven into the ground.
At the Pre-Construction Conference for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Solar Irrigation Project, government officials, community leaders, farmers’ organizations, and project implementers gathered around a shared purpose: to turn a plan on paper into water for the fields—and, ultimately, into greater opportunities for the farming communities it will serve.
Leading the activity was NIA Engineer Cindy Tubongbanua, together with representatives from STMI Construction, represented by Shiela Moreño, and the Darmo Isabela Staff, as project stakeholders came together to discuss the work ahead.
The conference brought together Mayor Miguel Angelo G. Yulo and Frenie Gomez Sarpo of DAR-PBD South, alongside the project’s intended community partners and recipients: Punong Barangay Hon. Monina Terol of Cabcab and Punong Barangay Dionnel Angelo Ceriaco of Cansalongon.
Representing the farmers who stand to benefit directly from the project were Chairman Susan Opeña of BCIFARC, Chairman Robert Grapa of BACARCO, and Chairman Felimon Aguillon of the Camangcamang Irrigators Association.
Their presence gave the conference a meaning beyond construction schedules, technical specifications, and project coordination. At the heart of the undertaking are farmers whose livelihoods remain deeply tied to the availability, reliability, and sustainability of water.
The solar irrigation project carries a simple but powerful promise: harnessing the energy of the sun to help bring water to agricultural land. It represents an investment not merely in infrastructure, but in the resilience of communities whose harvests sustain families and contribute to the food security of the wider community.
The pre-construction conference therefore marked more than the beginning of physical works. It marked the beginning of collective responsibility.
From the engineers who will oversee its implementation, to the contractor entrusted with its construction, to local leaders and farmer organizations who will ultimately experience its impact, every stakeholder has a role in ensuring that the project reaches the fields it was designed to serve.
Soon, where there is only sunlight, there will be power.
Where there is power, there will be water.
And where there is water, there is another chance for the farmer to plant, cultivate, harvest—and hope.
