Marcos orders transfer of NIA to the Office of the President
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has issued an executive order transferring the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to the Office of the President (OP). The reorganization is part of Executive Order No. 69, which aims to enhance coordination and efficiency within the bureaucracy by streamlining the relationships of agencies with complementary mandates.
Marcos emphasized the importance of rationalizing these functions to promote better policy and program coordination. The NIA, previously under the DA, will now report directly to the OP. The executive order, signed on September 5, 2024, takes effect immediately.
It can be recalled that NIA was formerly attached to the OP for nearly eight years under the previous administration. However, in 2022, under President Rodrigo Duterte, the agency was transferred back to the DA through Executive Order No. 168. The move was aimed at strengthening the connection between the two agencies to support agricultural development, as irrigation plays a critical role in enhancing the country’s agricultural sector.
In May 2022, shortly after NIA’s reintegration into the DA, both agencies held a coordination meeting to ensure the smooth transition and synchronization of their efforts. During the meeting, officials from NIA and DA highlighted the importance of collaboration to boost the development, operation, and maintenance of irrigation systems nationwide. DA officials emphasized that irrigation is essential to agriculture, with the partnership expected to foster greater synergy.
With the recent transfer back to the OP, the Marcos administration seeks to maximize NIA’s capacity to implement its irrigation programs while improving national agricultural policies.