Region 7 National Irrigation Administration (NIA) manager Modesto Membreve was among 15 top officials who were affected by a revamp ordered by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Membreve, who is presently based in Bohol, will be transferred to Region 13 replacing Regional Director Alejandro Aberca. Aberca, in turn, has been reassigned to Region 9 replacing Regional Director Alberto Lacuaren. Diosdado Rosales has been named as Membreve’s replacement. Among the 15 top officials involved in the revamp were three top officials from the central office, eight regional managers, one operations manager and a project manager. News reports said President Aquino ordered the revamp after NIA accomplished only 25% of its target of irrigating 30,958 hectares despite spending over 60% of its P14.88 billion budget.

President Aquino reportedly expressed dismay over the NIA’s performance as of June 30 this year. NIA Administrator Antonio Nangel disclosed that the reorganization is intended to effectively implement the rice self-sufficiency program (RSSP) and the food self-sufficiency program (FSSR) of the Aquino administration. Nangel was quoted in reports as saying that the reshuffle of NIA personnel is also aimed to accomplish the mission, vision and objectives of the NIA as spelled out by President Aquino and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. Ordered 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 will give way to Suguitan who was replaced by Dumandan Patrocinio will now assume Dumandan’s post as operations department manager. Aside from Membreve, Aberca and Lacuaren, the revamp included regional managers John Celeste (Region 1), Manuel Collado (Region 3), Efren Roqueza (Region 4-A), Julius Maquiling (Region 10) and Felix Razo (Region 11); operations managers Mariano Dancel and Reynaldo Puno and project manager Reinerio Irinco.  Celeste has been designated RSSP manager for northern Luzon and was replaced by Collado whose post was given to Puno. Puno’s post as operations manager of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems, the operator of the Pantabangan Dam, will now be assumed by division manager Josephine Salazar. Roqueza in turn was named RSSP area manager for Visayas and was replaced by Romeo Anonuevo.

On the other hand, Maquiling merely swapped posts with Razo. Dancel, operations manager of the Magat River Integrated Irrigation Systems, the second largest irrigation system, was reassigned as RSSP area manager for southern Luzon and was replaced by Helsy Bermudez, division manager of Region 1. Irinco, project manager of the Help for Catubig Agricultural Advancement Project, was named RSSP staff under the Office of the Administrator, replaced by Amadeo Montejo.