The uneasy relation between National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Regional Manager Modesto Membreve and some members of his staff arising from alleged leakage of public records was an apparent retaliation to reports of anomalies engulfing the Provincial Irrigation Office (PIO). Membreve was also suspecting that certain personnel also got mad at him for imposing orderliness and decency in the NIA compound and facilities. The NIA official described the PIO before he put order in the office as “like a refugee camp or a volcanic eruption evacuation center.” Both the regional and provincial offices are in the same NIA compound in Dao district here. Membreve improved and utilized a building there for his office when the NIA-Central Visayas base was transferred to Bohol from Cebu on account of the region's major irrigation dams in the province. Trying to dispel unfounded accusations, Membreve said there was no truth to news reports (not in the Post) that he harassed the 14 NIA personnel for subjecting them to lie detector tests by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The NBI tests were seen as his way of getting back at the NIA personnel for the so-called unauthorized like of public documents. But Membreve denied the charge. The employees came from sections where leaked official records would be kept or through which leaked officials papers would normally pass. Membreve and other NIA officials only learned of the leakage when he got hold of an anonymous letter with attached copies of the “stolen” records. The leakage was so systematic that there were even certified documents. The documents, which include appointments, were allegedly used to support a complaint from a certain Jun Gulle to the Office Ombudsman for alleged irregularities and nepotism against Membreve. There is no such name as Gulle in the NIA plantilla.

However, Membreve said he knew of a former NIA Central Office casual personnel by the same name as that of the complainant. He said that “Jun Gulle” was terminated while facing alleged charges. The NIA regional officer admitted having asked the NBI to conduct polygraph tests on the documents of leakage “suspects” after no one would cooperate, much less own responsibility, during his own investigation. The NBI investigation result could be known next week, short listing the suspects to likely four or three. Membreve corrected reports that those who underwent lie detector tests were all “ranking” NIA personnel. He said they are contractual and casual workers and not section chiefs or project coordinators. The irrigation official was surprised why an assistant regional accountant underwent polygraph test, too, when there was no such position in his office. For his part, human resource officer Jose Lito Lambohon also cleared himself, saying he was not among those who underwent lie detector tests contrary to report.

CAUSES OF RETALIATION

Upon assuming as regional head, Membreve said he “broke” the vicious practices at the PIO involving forced account by insiders and contract works without bidding. He said projects were “contracted” by insiders using dummies, and they could not accept proper processes because they were already used to their lucrative irregular doings. Thus, they raised back at my “strictness.” According to Lambohon, dummy contractors would merely sign necessary papers while the men of the PIO insiders were the ones implementing the projects as supervised by their office bosses. Thus, there was no double-checking to ensure quality materials and results, Lambohon said. He said that because dummies were used, the costs of different materials were based on their high prices although the PIO insiders got them from their own cheap sources. To be plain and understood, Lambohon said, as an example, that a cubic meter of sand which could be had for P300/cu. M. was priced at P1,000 per.

There was no control and double-checking after all, he added. Further, the government was cheated of taxes or revenues by their scheme, Membreve said. The PIO is now headed by Olimpio Galagala, Jr., but Membreve sensed that the “people of the past administration are still intact.” The NIA regional head imposed orderliness by stopping personnel from making the compound and its facilities as their “residences,” consuming light and water at government's expense. “Since when could a government office look exactly like a laundry area with used and washed clothes hanging everywhere?” Membreve asked. Membreve accepted those who were affected to get mad at him, but he also said he already sensed “some behavioral problems” which had to be dealt with accordingly if the government had to get respect.

NO HARASSMENT

Membreve denied he harassed those who underwent NBI lie detector tests, otherwise he could have swiftly sanctioned them in the guise of invoking civil service rules. By the contractual and casual nature of their jobs, the subject employees could be terminated for the official documents leakage but Membreve said he did not do it. The irrigation chief said his office can provide official documents if there are formal requests as a proper course of government transparency. Membreve recalled that there were temporary employees who used to get no pays but continued working since they earned---in higher amount---from questionable contract projects. He said he has made the Provincial Irrigation Office financially viable after assuming and holding regional office here, “but we have to improve by discipline.” (With reports from Ven rebo Arigo)