Julia Christine Botin

Article (news)

Raine Musñgi

ABS-CBN News

<div> </div>MANILA— Israel says its artificial intelligence technology is already helping manage parts of the Philippines&#x27; irrigation system, underscoring how cooperation between the two countries has moved beyond diplomacy into the deployment of real-world technologies aimed at improving food security, climate resilience and agricultural productivity.Speaking on ANC&#x27;s Business Outlook, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kirsch said Israeli-developed technologies are already operating within projects of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA), combining artificial intelligence, solar-powered irrigation and drone monitoring to help farmers cope with increasingly unpredictable weather.&quot;We have to now take agriculture, which is ancient and from the Bible time, to add now AI and innovative solution. And that is exactly what we&#x27;re doing here in the Philippines,&quot; Kirsch said. The ambassador said NIA has adopted three Israeli technologies as part of its modernization efforts, including solar-powered irrigation pumps, AI-powered water management systems and drones that monitor farm conditions in real time.According to Kirsch, more than 2,000 solar-powered irrigation pumps are already deployed across the country, helping deliver water to rice-producing areas using renewable energy.&quot;In the command center of NIA, you will see an AI solution that is monitoring the dam, how much to open the water, if there is some more water, the floods, yes or no,&quot; she said. (The system, she explained, also incorporates drones that inspect irrigation sites, monitor water availability and determine whether crops require pesticides or additional intervention before transmitting information back to a centralized command center.&quot;Then they can instruct the farmer what to do. This is agriculture by Israelis and Filipinos together with cutting-edge technological solutions,&quot; Kirsch added. (18:08–18:30)The technology comes as the Philippine government continues to prioritize food security and climate adaptation.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_K7ZGRUz3Pc?&amp;t=85s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>Agriculture contributes roughly 8 to 9 percent of Philippine gross domestic product while employing about one in every five Filipino workers, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Yet the sector remains among the country&#x27;s most climate-vulnerable industries, with recurring droughts, typhoons and flooding affecting crop yields and farm incomes.The National Irrigation Administration has been expanding solar-powered irrigation projects nationwide to reduce dependence on diesel pumps while improving irrigation coverage for farmers.For Israel, whose land area is approximately 22,000 square kilometers and where roughly 60 percent of the country is desert, innovation in water management has long been an economic necessity.&quot;Our pioneer leader, David Ben-Gurion, said 60 percent of Israel is desert,&quot; Kirsch recalled. &quot;He said, &#x27;I will make the desert blue.&#x27; So he gathered entrepreneurs, researchers, academics and businessmen and together we made the desert blue.&quot;The ambassador said those same technologies are now being adapted for Philippine conditions, where the challenge is not water scarcity but effectively managing abundant water resources amid increasingly volatile weather patterns.<div>Philippines as strategic partner in Israel&#x27;s pivot to Asia</div>Beyond agriculture, Kirsch revealed that Israel now considers the Philippines one of its priority economic partners in Asia as Jerusalem seeks to deepen engagement with the region despite continuing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.&quot;We look towards Asia at large, and the Philippines in specific, as partners for a better future for all of us,&quot; Kirsch said. According to the ambassador, the directive comes directly from Israel&#x27;s political leadership, which has instructed diplomats to strengthen economic partnerships in Asia while continuing traditional relationships elsewhere.Rather than framing bilateral ties as development assistance, Kirsch described the relationship as one built on complementary strengths.She cited the Philippines&#x27; young, English-speaking workforce, entrepreneurial culture, strategic position within ASEAN and growing innovation ecosystem as key reasons Israeli businesses are paying closer attention to the country.&quot;The Philippines has a young population, very knowledgeable academically, fluent in English, with so much talent and drive to excel,&quot; she said. Kirsch, who has spent nearly a year touring Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and Palawan, said she was struck by similarities between Metro Manila&#x27;s business ecosystem and Tel Aviv&#x27;s startup environment.&quot;When I wander the streets of BGC,&quot; she said with a smile, &quot;I feel like I&#x27;m in Tel Aviv.&quot; She also pointed to what he described as another shared advantage between the two countries: resilience.&quot;The Philippines has endured a lot of devastation because of climate change,&quot; Kirsch said. &quot;Despite hardship and calamities, there&#x27;s a spirit of resilience. Unfortunately, we share that as well.&quot;For Israel, she said, decades of operating under difficult conditions have fostered an innovation-first mindset. For the Philippines, frequent climate-related disasters are creating similar incentives to adopt technologies that improve efficiency, sustainability and disaster preparedness.That convergence, she argued, gives both countries an opportunity to collaborate beyond traditional diplomatic exchanges and toward long-term economic partnerships rooted in innovation.<div>Innovation partnership, not just an FTA</div>Kirsch stressed that Israel&#x27;s ambitions extend well beyond increasing bilateral trade or signing a free trade agreement.&quot;It&#x27;s not that one side is selling and the other side is buying. It&#x27;s not that we are giving or teaching. It&#x27;s that we need to find ways together to tackle the challenges that exist in the world,&quot; she said. Instead, she envisions collaboration in cybersecurity, climate adaptation, water management, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship -- areas where each country brings different strengths.&quot;Both sides have expertise, different expertise that can complement one another. And that&#x27;s the secret of the Israeli-Filipino partnership,&quot; she added. The comments come as the Philippines accelerates its own digital transformation agenda while seeking greater investment in high-value industries, including AI, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and technology-enabled agriculture.Trade discussions between the two countries remain active, although a proposed Philippines-Israel Free Trade Agreement is still in its exploratory phase.Kirsch said negotiations remain behind the Philippines&#x27; ongoing trade talks with the European Union, Canada and Chile but expressed confidence the process will eventually move forward.&quot;The FTA is not just that it will lower trade... It will connect our ecosystem and build this partnership on a solid ground,&quot; she said. War has not stopped Israel&#x27;s economic outreachDespite nearly three years of conflict in the Middle East, Kirsch said Israel has continued expanding exports and overseas business engagement.&quot;You would have imagined that the economy will go down and the trade will go down. But... there is an increase of exports of 10 percent from Israel,&quot; she said. She acknowledged geopolitical uncertainty continues to affect global commerce but said Israel hopes bilateral trade with the Philippines can continue growing.&quot;I would have loved to have exponential growth,&quot; Kirsch said, before adding that a 3 percent increase in 2027 would already represent meaningful progress under current global conditions. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, Israel remains a relatively modest but growing trading partner, particularly in electronics, agricultural technologies, chemicals and defense-related products.<div>Direct flights inch closer</div>Kirsch also expressed optimism that direct commercial flights between Israel and the Philippines could finally become a reality after years of discussions.She said Israeli airline executives have already held meetings with Philippine transportation officials, while some carriers have publicly announced plans to begin Manila services before the end of the year.&quot;I cannot give you an exact date,&quot; Kirsch said, &quot;but I can tell you that we are working diligently on that. And I think it will materialize very, very soon.&quot; Direct flights are expected to boost tourism, religious pilgrimages, business travel and investment exchanges between the two countries.<div>&#x27;Don&#x27;t judge all Israelis by a handful of incidents&#x27;</div>Asked about recent immigration operations involving Israeli nationals in Siargao, Kirsch took an unusually firm position, saying Israeli citizens who violate Philippine laws should face prosecution.&quot;If there is an Israeli who&#x27;s misbehaving, he or she should be brought to justice and should be pressed charges,&quot; she said. However, she urged the public not to judge Israeli visitors based on isolated cases.&quot;It&#x27;s a handful of incidents... Please press charges. But don&#x27;t depict all Israeli tourists.&quot; Kirsch said the overwhelming majority of Israelis visit the Philippines to enjoy its destinations, appreciate Filipino hospitality and maintain longstanding people-to-people ties built over decades.For her, those relationships remain the foundation of an economic partnership that increasingly revolves around innovation rather than aid, collaboration rather than transactions.&quot;If we can combine Israeli innovation with Filipino talent and resilience,&quot; she suggested throughout the interview, &quot;both countries stand to gain.&quot;

Israel's ambassador said NIA has adopted three Israeli technologies as part of its modernization efforts, including solar-powered irrigation pumps, AI-powered water management systems and drones that monitor farm conditions in real time.

Israel's ambassador said NIA has adopted three Israeli technologies as part of its modernization efforts, including solar-powered irrigation pumps, AI-powered water management systems and drones that monitor farm conditions in real time.

Israel touts AI-powered agri as it seeks wider partnership with PH

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Israel touts AI-powered agri as it seeks wider partnership with PH

Raine Musñgi,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 06, 2026 11:14 AM PHT

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Israel

AI

agricluture

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ANC

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