NIA employees ask PNOY to look into bosses’ “anomalies”

CEBU, Philippines - Executives and rank-and-file employees of the National Irrigation Administration and farmers have withdrawn their trust and support to the top officials of NIA and the Department of Agriculture.

During a Special National Council Meeting held at Montebello Hotel in Cebu City yesterday, the NIA Employees Association of the Philippines led the signing of the Open Letter to President Benigno Aquino III regarding the alleged “highly irregular and anomalous transactions” at the NIA.

NIAEASP National President Victorino Aron clarified that there are no government funds involved in the controversy, but more on the procedures of the transactions.

They alleged that a top NIA official ordered the repackaging of projects from administration works to local minor contracts amounting to P105 million. The group stressed that it did not know about the order but it resulted to the reshuffling of its regional managers.

One of the NIA deputy administrators designated by DA Secretary Proceso Alcala allegedly has pending cases for graft and corruption before the Office of the Ombudsman under OMB Case No. OMB-V-C-13-0202 and OMB-A-13-2011 but is reportedly set to assume as NIA administrator within this month.

“Mr. President, we fully support and believe in your genuine desire to cleanse our government of corruption, that is why we came out openly to help you identify your appointees who are not worthy to serve under your administration,” the letter stated.

In the first letter dated February 6, 2014 to the President, the group referred to some unnamed personalities who are allegedly “sacred cows” tasked to do the dirty works in order to raise funds for the forthcoming 2016 elections thus they are “protected and untouchables.”

The FREEMAN is withholding the names and positions of the NIA officials who are all based in Manila.

Aron said that the rest of their allegations have supporting documents from the Commission on Audit which will be used in the filing of appropriate charges the moment the President will not act on their request.

Aside from those from NIAEASP, those who signed the open letter are from the Association of Regional Directors and Operations Managers (ARDOMA) president Vicente Galvez; Project Manager’s Society (PMS) president Alexander Coloma; National Confederation of Irrigator’s Association (NCIA) president Silvestre Bonto; and National Federation of Employees of the Department of Agriculture (NAFEDA) president Santi Dasmarinas. —/ATO (FREEMAN)