Proposed transfer of NIA to DA welcomed
THE proposed transfer of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) from the Office of the President back to the Department of Agriculture (DA) gained support from the other government agencies.
The proponent, Magsasaka Party-list, welcomed the support of these agencies adding that this development is a logical and sensible move to get NIA into shape again.
“The MPL has always been behind this proposal, and we’re hoping the show of support will finally get the ball rolling, “ said Magsasaka Party-list Representative Argel Cabatbat.
The Department of Finance (DOF) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), in separate statements, agreed with the proposed transfer.
In a letter addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte dated April 20, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez said by making the NIA an attached agency of the DA, they will be “better able to fulfill their respective mandates and deliver better outcomes for their shared benefit—the Filipino farmers.”
For his part, NEDA chief Karl Kendrick Chua said his agency “agrees with the merits raised by the DA to ensure stronger and better complementation of interventions and activities to develop the agriculture sector.”
For the fifth year in a row, the Commission on Audit cited red flags in NIA’s management of contracts.
Last year, COA reported 841 contracts amounting to P6.579 billion that may be in violation of the Government Procurement Reform Act. It was found that NIA contractors presented documents that lacked details like project cost and percentage of accomplishment.
Cabatbat says that should NIA come back under DA’s management, coordination among other attached agencies will be seamless and swift especially during times of pandemic and natural calamities like typhoons.
Studies show that proper irrigation is a major driver of productivity in farms. For instance, more than 60 percent of rice fields depend on irrigation more than rain water.
By virtue of Executive Order 165, NIA was placed under the OP in 2014. It is currently led by former Armed Forces chief of staff General Ricardo Visaya, with Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles as Board of Directors chairman.
