Angat asked to extend irrigation allocation for Central Luzon farms

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May 3, 2026 | 12:00am

MALOLOS, Bulacan, Philippines — Operators of Angat Dam have been asked to extend the allocation of irrigation water for rice farms in Bulacan and parts of Pampanga as there are still about 5,000 hectares of farmlands with standing crops that need to be irrigated.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) made the request after the schedule for irrigation allocation from Angat ended on Thursday.

Water from Angat is released to the nearby Bustos Dam, which distributes this to about 25,000 hectares of rice farms in Bulacan and parts of Pampanga.

Citing an advisory from the NIA, Ma. Gloria Carillo, chief of the Bulacan agriculture office, said that the release of irrigation water from Angat for this dry season was only until April 30.

Carillo said that as of yesterday, the NIA was still waiting for the approval of its request to extend the allocation.

Enrique Carlos, chief of the NIA’s irrigation management office in Bulacan, confirmed that around 20 percent of their service areas still need to be irrigated.

Carlos said that these rice farms are located in the towns of Bocaue, Bulakan, Bustos and Plaridel in Bulacan as well as in Apalit and San Luis in Pampanga.

He said that Bustos Dam is still releasing irrigation water coming from upstream river system.

Carlos said the NIA has yet to be informed if its request to extend the irrigation allocation will be granted or not.