QUEZON CITY (Feb. 18, 2014) – Less than a week after Agusan del Norte First District Representative Lawrence “Law” Fortun called for an investigation on LTFRB’s failure to enforce passenger safety regulations over the spate of bus accidents, this time it is the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Caraga Regional Office which caught the ire of the young solon over the agency’s irrigation projects that have been abandoned and left unfinished.
In a privilege speech before the House of Representatives yesterday, the lawmaker took note of President Noynoy Aquino’s earlier order to create a multi-agency investigation in what he himself described as “anomalous disparities” in multi-million annual fund releases for projects at the NIA, citing uncovered records detailing full payment for NIA irrigation projects that were only partially accomplished. Fortun lamented, “ngunit, tila hanggang ngayon, ganoon pa rin ang kalakaran sa ibaba at ito ay lantaran at walang pakundangan na ginagawa. Minsan tuloy ako ay napapatanong, ‘Ito kaya’y may basbas mula sa itaas?’”
Fortun’s speech stemmed from a letter he received from the Langag, Ambacon, Montilla, Mat-I, Pinanaan Irrigators Association (LAMMP-IA) complaining “about 12 irrigation projects, with a total cost of P170 million, whose implementation commenced or should have commenced back in 2012.” Upon the receipt of the complaint, Fortun said that he immediately wrote the NIA-Caraga Acting Regional Manager to bring to her attention the said complaints and requested for an investigation. However, the NIA executive responded that they had already investigated the matter and provided the solon with a copy of the Field Verification Report. “The report said that all allegations in the complaint were fictitious since the projects have either been completed or are ongoing, and that the supposed complainants had already retracted. Attached to the Report was the Status of Project Implementation for CY 2012 Projects purportedly showing the progress and accomplishment of the projects,” Fortun said in his speech. Fortun also added that he was handed a copy of the supposed affidavits of the complainants, two of them stated that they did not know about any such complaint and one said he did not understand the complaint he signed. The solon further said that when he was able to talk him (one of the complainants), “he revealed that somebody connected with NIA went to him and convinced him to execute the affidavit. He was accompanied all the way from the Municipality of Las Nieves to Butuan City and brought to a law office where he was asked to sign the affidavit,” Fortun said.
Fortun also showed several pictures during his speech of the alleged unfinished and abandoned projects taken last February 6, 2014 which showed that it totally contradicts the accomplishment report submitted by NIA Caraga. “Mr. Speaker, the pictures that were just shown do not lie. They show that the Status of Project Implementation prepared by the Irrigation Management Office of the NIA-Caraga Regional Office is replete deliberate with lies and misrepresentation. The inconsistencies and disparities are unmistakable. Ika nga ng mga abogado: Res ipsa loquitor.””… Mr. Speaker….our farmers are being cheated,” Fortun said in gist.
Fortun further dropped a bombshell when he revealed that it appears that the anomaly is not only unique to the first district of Agusan del Norte and appears to be larger. He revealed that he was handed a copy of a letter from the National Irrigation Administration Employees Association of the Philippines dated February 6, 2014 addressed to the President, attention Secretary Proceso J. Alcala of the Department of Agriculture, complaining about alleged usurpation of the powers of the Administrator, transfer of delegated authority to facilitate corruption in the agency, 50% progress billing for projects with zero physical accomplishment, and repackaging of projects. It was signed by national officers of the NIA Employees Association and all district presidents of the union from all regions around the country, which stated among others: “Mr. President, we can give you a litany of highly anomalous and irregular transactions in NIA that have been going on for some time.”
“We have always dreamed, Mr. Speaker, of rice sufficiency and food security. Irrigation will play a vital role in the realization of this dream as it is supposed to contribute to a significant increase in our agricultural output. The prospects, however, have remained, and will remain dim as we continue to allow these kinds of mockery and abuse. Mr. Speaker, it’s about time that Congress get into the bottom of all these,” Fortun said in ending his speech.
Lawig Katawhan 