NIA Officials Revamped

Fifteen top-ranking officials of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), including the deputy administrator, were relieved from their posts in a sweeping top-level revamp ordered by President Benigno S. Aquino III.

The revamp affected three officials from the NIA central office, eight regional managers, one operation manager and one project manager.

NIA administrator Antonio Nangel told this reporter that the reshuffle was meant to vigorously implement the rice self-sufficiency program (RSSR) and the food self-sufficiency program (FSSR) of the Aquino administration.

Nangel said the redistribution of subordinate NIA personnel was also intended to better achieve the mission, vision and predicate objectives of the NIA as spelled out by President Aquino and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.

The overhaul was ordered by President Aquino after NIA accomplished only 25 percent of its target of 30,958 hectares while spending over 60 percent of its P14.88 billion budget.

Relieved in the NIA central office through Board of Directors Resolution 7708-11 were deputy administrator for engineering and operations Democratico Grana Jr., internal audit services department manager Robert Suguitan, operations department manager Gregorio Dumandan and Region 7 engineering and operations division manager Dexter Patrocinio.

Grana was designated as overall chief of the project inspectorate and advisory group. He was replaced by Suguitan whose post was taken over by Dumandan who in turn was succeeded by Patrocinio.

Also replaced were regional managers John Celeste (Region 1), Manuel Collado (Region 3), Efren Roqueza (Region 4-A), Modesto Membreve (Region 7), Alberto Lacuaren (Region 9), Julius Maquiling (Region 10), Felix Razo (Region 11) and Alejandro Aberca (Region 13); operation managers Mariano Dancel and Reynaldo Puno and project manager Reinerio Irinco.