Is there an on-going plot to boot out Regional Director Modesto Membreve from his present assignment as regional director of the National Irrigation Administration(NIA). This question cropped up yesterday as no less than the NIA regional head voiced apprehension of alleged covert attempts to oust him apparently due to his close association with Cong. Erico Aumentado of the second district. Although the NIA head appeared confident that he will be able to weather all sorts of machinations to avert an impending transfer to another station, what he cannot stomach is the possibility of a demolition job that borders on the “personal”. There were reports that Membreve's enemies were poised to throw everything in his direction including the kitchen sink if only to get rid of him in his Bohol assignment.

The regional office of NIA was transferred from Tacloban City to this city upon representation of Aumentado, former Bohol governor. According to reports circulated around, Membreve is going to be replaced by a protégée of the present Capitol occupant. The present Capitol tenant, Gov. Edgar Chatto, in a phone interview, yesterday afternoon, simply laughed- off the report that he was among those moving for Membreve's ouster. “I heard stories that Membreve has problems with farmers in the service areas of our major irrigation dams. Also, that some personnel inside the NIA regional office are against his management; but he hadn't told me about it,” Chatto said.

Chatto added that he had been supportive of the NIA-7 projects under Membreve and that he had signed all project endorsements requested by the NIA regional director. Membreve, meanwhile refused to dignify such stories. “That is not true. In fact, Governor Chatto had signed a manifesto signifying strong support for the upgrading of the Malinao Dam in Pilar, which is opposed by some groups posing as non-government organizations,” he said. Membreve is also enjoying the trust and confidence of new NIA Administrator Antonio S. Nangel who was just appointed by Pres. Noynoy Aquino September last year. Nangel personally visited the regional office last February 25. In a forum with farmers, Nangel announced the approval of P42-million in realigned funds for the concreting of farm ditches in the Malinao irrigation system areas.

The NIA administrator also lauded the management of the Bohol Integrated Irrigation System (BIIS) which resulted to Bohol's consistent high yield of rice in the whole Central Visayas. Membreve also holds the record of having completed the P3.628-Billion Bohol Irrigation Project Stage 2(BHIP-2 Bayongan Dam) despite the many financial controversies encountered during its implementation. Under Membreve's watch, the Bohol Integrated Irrigation System has acquired an expanded service area up to 10,040 hectares (Malinao Dam with 4,700 hecs; Bayongan 4,140 hecs and Capayas 1,160 hecs) that changed the lives of 11,900 families of farmers-beneficiaries. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) reported that Bohol registered an unprecedented 113% rice self-sufficiency in 2008 at the height of the global rice crisis and when the country was hit by the El Niño drought in 2009, the province achieved a 110% rice self-sufficiency which enabled the province to partially supply the rice requirements of Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

On the NIA drawing board also are three upcoming Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (SRIP) that will be implemented by the NIA Region-7 office under Membreve. Now on the committee level are three House Bills of Rep. Erico B. Augmented (2 nd District-Bohol) seeking to irrigate 1,400 hectares of rice lands costing P1.3 –Billion in the towns of Buenavista, Inabanga, Danao and Ubay. These are SRIP projects of Bonot-bonot that will irrigate 450 hectares of rice lands benefiting 500 farmers costing P450 million in the towns of Buenavista and Inabanga. Another is the Hibale SRIP that will irrigate 350 hectares of rice land benefiting 350 farmers costing P400-million in Danao and the third is the Benliw SRIP that will irrigate 6000 hectares benefiting 500 farmers and costing P450-million.

The three SRIPs will have an initial release of P20M, P10M andP10M, respectively. The Malinao dam upgrading will also increase its water impounding capacity from 5M cubic meters to 9M cu.m. that can irrigate 200 hecs new area and 1,960 hecs of restored area benefiting 2,730 farmers more. All of the irrigator-farmers associations in the integrated irrigation service areas (BIIS) are supporting the project. The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA-7) had already endorsed the project to its Central Office in Manila for approval.