DAVAO CITY — The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) will channel loans to local governments units (LGUs) for water supply and irrigation systems under a program set up by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), to be launched Dec. 6.

MinDA, in a statement over the weekend, said its chair, Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol recently met DBP President Emmanuel G. Herbosa to discuss the loan details, including interest rate and payment scheme.

LGU internal revenue allotments, or their share from the national budget, will serve as security for the loans.

The program, which is also supported by the Department of Interior and Local Government, is meant for off-grid areas that have no water supply and irrigation systems.

“We want our LGUs to access funding for the establishment of solar water supply and irrigation systems not only to provide potable water for their remote villages, but also to prepare them for the expected El Niño next year,” Mr. Piñol said.

In a social media post last week, Mr. Piñol said “at least 2,000 barangays in Mindanao are still without safe sources of drinking water.”

Last week, MinDA conducted a consultation, validation, and capacity-building workshop for officials of LGUs that are potential beneficiaries of the water supply program.

For the solar-powered irrigation projects, which Mr. Piñol initiated during his previous posting as Agriculture Secretary, the MinDA program aims to cover 100,000 hectares of rice farms. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR