NIA Central Office – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has received the National Housing Authority (NHA) funding of P15 million for the housing project of the affected Panay Bukidnon Indigenous Peoples (IP) community of the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) in Calinog, Iloilo.

This is part of the P20-million commitment of the NHA under the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by the two agencies for the JRMP II IP Housing Project signed on August 03, 2020. 35 IP families to be displaced during the filling up of JRMP II High Dam will be the beneficiaries of the housing project in Sitio Agburi, Barangay Cahigon, Calinog.

The NIA Project Management Office (PMO) of JRMP II, headed by Acting Project Manager Jonel Borres, provided the location of the resettlement site that underwent technical assessment such of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) for hazards and other relevant risks and was eventually found to be conducive for residential housing. JRMP II PMO is undertaking site development activities including provisions for community facilities, water system and access roads to and from the resettlement site.

NIA Region II – Under the leadership of Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has recently completed the P30.332-million Zinundungan River Irrigation System (Zinundungan RIS) located at Barangay Sicalao, Lasam, Cagayan. The project was inaugurated on May 10, 2021.

Zinundungan RIS, whose water source comes from Sicalao River, includes gravity/ogee-type diversion works with an ogee length of 52.4 meters and a height of 2.60 meters. One unit of sluice gate (3 meters x 2 meters) has a discharge capacity of 2.050 cubic meters per second. The project aims to provide sustainable agricultural development in the municipality by optimizing the irrigation potential of the system.

With a service area of 2,938.78 hectares and operational area of 2,127.53, the project will provide timely and reliable irrigation water supply to 23 barangays in the Municipality of Lasam, Cagayan, benefitting 1,639 farmers and their families.

NIA Top Management Officials, headed by Administrator Visaya, are looking forward to the socio-economic benefits of Zinundungan RIS in the Municipality of Lasam. The Management coined the project as a game changer in the agricultural development of the province.

NIA Central Office – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has completed the Barbar Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (Barbar SRIP) amidst the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic situated in Barangay Barbar, San Juan, Ilocos Sur.

The P631-million Barbar Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (Barbar SRIP) involves the construction of Earthfill Dam across the Bical River with a height and length of 25.00 meters and 344.15 meters respectively, with a storage capacity of 0.861 million cubic meters. Irrigation Facilities of the project consists of a five (5) kilometer main canal and a total of 16.28 kilometers lateral canals. Access roads were constructed simultaneous with the lateral canals having the same length with the latter, providing mobility and accessibility for farmers and their farms inputs and products.

The Barbar SRIP with 846-hectare service area aims to provide sustainable development to the 1,156 farmers and their families of the eleven (11) barangays of Barbar, Camangaan, Nagsupotan, Nagsabaran, Muraya, Immayos Sur, Guimod Sur and Bacsil in the town of San Juan, and the barangays of Macatcatud, Caraisan and Barbarit in the neighboring town of Magsingal, Ilocos Sur.

NIA Central Office – The Project Management Office (PMO) of the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP-II) reported that the over-all physical accomplishment of the project is 6.11% ahead of its target for the first quarter of the year during the joint virtual meeting with the office of Senate Minority Leader Senator Franklin Drilon this Thursday, April 29, 2021.

As of March 31, 2021, 37.83% is the recorded over-all physical accomplishment of JRMP-II, considering its Government of the Philippines (GOP) and Loan Proceed (LP) components, versus its 31.72% target for the same quarter.

Acting Project Manager of JRMP-II, Engineer Jonel Borres highlighted during the said briefing the ongoing works of an international contractor, DAEWOO Engineering and Construction (DEC) such as the foundation preparations for the 109-meter Jalaur High Dam as the impounding dam of the project. This is to ensure the stability and structural integrity of the project. Also, the 10.65-meter downstream coffer dam is being constructed in the Jalaur High Dam. This is the third structure constructed by DEC for the care and diversion of the river.

NIA Region VII – Under the leadership of Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has recently completed four irrigation projects with an aggregate cost of P913.7 million in the Province of Bohol amidst pandemic.

These projects are 1) P645-million Benliw Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (Benliw SRIP) located in the Municipality of Ubay, 2) P260-million Catigbian Small Water Impounding Project (Catigbian SWIP) located in the town of Buenavista, 3) P4.5-million Oghob Small Irrigation Project (Oghob SIP) in the town of Batuan, and 4) P4.2-million Kagawasan Communal Irrigation Project (Kagawasan CIP) in the Municipality of San Miguel.

Benliw SRIP, whose water source comes from Pasanan Creek, is a medium-scale irrigation development project which includes the construction of a 21-meter-high zoned earthfill dam with a length of 517 meters, a reservoir with a catchment area of 5.60 square kilometres that can store 2.86 million cubic meters (mcm) of water, irrigation and drainage canals, and other appurtenant structures. The project is expected to provide timely and reliable irrigation water supply to 400 hectares of agricultural land in barangays of Benliw, Emelda, Cagting, and Sinandigan, benefitting 600 farmers and their families.

Quezon City – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), headed by Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya, and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), headed by Chairman Reynaldo V. Velasco, conducted the Ceremonial Turnover of P16.25 million worth of financial support to 6,500 farmers of Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System (AMRIS) Federation of Irrigators Association, Inc. represented by IA President Guillermo N. Mangaluz on March 15, 2021 at MWSS Board Roard, 5th Floor, Administration Building.

NWRB, through Director Sevillo D. David, Jr., proposed to MWSS an equitable cash compensation plan for Bulacan farmers who were affected by the reduced water allocation for irrigation for Dry Season of 2019. In this regard, NIA assisted in the selection of qualified beneficiaries. MWSS formally instructed its concessionaires, Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Manila Water Company, Inc., to make necessary payment as compensation to the farmer-beneficiaries.

AMRIS IA Federation President Mangaluz expressed his gratitude to all agencies who made the financial support possible.

“Labis po kaming nagpapasalamat sa tulong at financial support na ipinagkaloob ninyo sa aming mga magsasaka. Malaking bagay po ito para sa pamilya ng mga magsasakang Bulakenyo”, he said.

Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) does an investigation after knowing that there are persons who pretend to be his ‘agents’ illegally collecting a 12% commission from the contractor of a 2M-worth irrigation project funded by a detached government agency.

First in the Four-Point Agenda of Administrator Visaya is to eradicate graft and corruption. Thus, under his leadership, all acts deviating from the marching order given by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, which is to do what is right and what is legal, have to be curtailed.

Investigations are being conducted by the Agency regarding the said allegation so that once proven, due punishment may be imposed immediately to the persons concerned. Even some contractors participating in the bidding process of NIA use the name of the Administrator by telling lies that they already have clearance from him just for them to win. The Agency has observed that this becomes rampant prior to election periods just like what happened before 2019 local elections.

It would be noted that in the previous years, some NIA employees who were proven doing illegal acts in their respective offices were endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman and were given due action and punishment. Also, in the previous months, several contractors were blacklisted to participate in all government procurement for a certain period of time due to negative slippages in their project contracts.

NIA Central Office – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), headed by Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya, has continued negotiations with Israeli-based firm LR Group for Solar Powered Fertigation System (SPFS) last Wednesday, February 24, 2021.

Following the successful 2018 visit to Israel by President Rodrigo Duterte, the respective countries, through their relevant departments and agencies, have entered into an Implementation Agreement. As a result of the Implementation Agreement, the LR Group, designed Solar Powered Fertigation System (SPFS) technology systems that are optimized for any location in the country, and can deliver water and fertilizers for any type of crops. The system is designed to increase crop yields while significantly cutting farmers’ costs, thus meeting the policies and objectives of our government.  

NIA Central Office – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) continues to fast-track the implementation of its big-ticket irrigation projects, namely, 1) P11.212-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Stage II (JRMP-II) in Calinog, Iloilo which broke ground on February 27, 2019, 2) P4.37-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project (CRPIP) in Pinukpuk, Kalinga which broke ground on August 08, 2018, and 3) P13.37 Tarlac Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project Phase II (TBBMP-II) located in San Jose, Tarlac which broke ground on July 18, 2017.

As of December 31, 2020, JRMP-II Project Management Office reported an actual project accomplishment of 41.90 percent against the target of 29.55 percent. JRMP-II is NIA's 8th big ticket irrigation project under the “Build, Build, Build” Program of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the first large-scale reservoir outside Luzon. The project includes the construction of three dams: a 109-meter high dam, a 38-meter afterbay dam across the Jalaur River, and a catch dam in Alibunan River. An 80-kilometer high line canal will also be constructed to deliver irrigation water from the dams to the rice paddies.

NIA Central Office – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has revised the Magat Dam Protocol on Dam Discharge and Flood Warning Operation after the creation of the Dam Crisis Management Task Force dedicated to review the existing protocols and address concerns on dam management crisis following the flooding incident in Cagayan Valley during the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) last year.

The House Committee on Agriculture and Food, jointly with the Special Committee on North Luzon Growth Quadrangle has resumed inquiry on the severe and unprecedented flooding in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela last Thursday, January 28, 2021.