Antiporda named acting NIA chief
CABANATUAN CITY – A week after his appointment by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to head the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Senior Deputy Administrator Benny D. Antiporda formally assumed his new post as acting NIA Administrator following turnover rites held at the NIA Central Office Matikas multi-purpose hall on July 29, 2022.
Outgoing NIA chief retired General Ricardo R. Visaya, who served the agency for five years and four months, passed on the baton of leadership to Antiporda, a former National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC) president and Environment Undersecretary before his designation as senior deputy administrator at NIA last February.
Witnessing the turnover rites were National Confederation of Irrigators Association president Remy N. Albano, NIA-ARDOMA president-NIA Region 11 chief Engr. Jimmy L. Apostol, NIA Deputy Administrator for Engineering and Operations C’zar M. Sulaik, NIA Deputy Administrator for Administrative and Finance Ralph Lauren A. Du, and other department and division managers.
In his farewell address, Visaya thanked former President Rodrigo Duterte and the agency for the opportunity to serve the Filipino farmers and the nation. He also congratulated the new acting administrator and wished that he will continue what the agency had started.
For his part, Antiporda took note of NIA’s numerous accomplishments under Visaya’s term as he outlined his plans and programs to uplift further the country’s irrigation and agricultural sector under the new administration of President Marcos Jr.
He said he aims to revitalize irrigation development and launch the #NIAParaSaBayan.
The new acting NIA chief also said he wants the agency’s continued response and action on the affected irrigation facilities in the earthquake-stricken regions.
