NIA Central Office – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos, Jr. recently appointed former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary and NIA Senior Deputy Administrator Benny D. Antiporda as the NIA Acting Administrator and Member of the NIA Board of Directors. A statement from the Office of the Press Secretary on July 22, 2022 confirmed Antiporda’s appointment, along with 11 other new government officials.
In a simple NIA Management Turnover Ceremony on July 29, 2022 at NIA Matikas Multipurpose Hall, Retired General Ricardo R. Visaya passed on the baton of leadership to Administrator Antiporda after serving the Agency for 5 years and 4 months. National Confederation of Irrigators Association (NCIA) President Remy N. Albano, NIA Deputy Administrator for Engineering and Operations Sector C’zar M. Sulaik, Deputy Administrator for Administrative and Finance Sector Ralph Lauren A. Du, Central Office Department and Division Managers, Regional and Project Managers nationwide, NIA employees, and family and friends of the outgoing and incoming administrators are present during the ceremony.
Under the term of Administrator Visaya and then President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, NIA achieved significant impacts with 7.95% increase in irrigation development. A total of 382 solar-powered pump irrigation projects, 1 floating solar power project in Magat Dam, 6 operational hydroelectric power projects, 1,035,921 Free Irrigation Service Act (FISA) farmer-beneficiaries, 34 IA Model Farms nationwide, 3 flood forecasting and instrumentation section command centers in the Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS), Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS), here in Central Office, with the re-fleeting program of 220 units of light and transport equipment, 57 units of heavy equipment, and 345 units of motor vehicle, and hundreds of irrigation projects were completed nationwide.
The Ceremonial Turnover of the NIA Flag was presided by NCIA President Albano. Engr. Jimmy L. Apostol, President of NIA Association of Regional, Department, and Operations Managers (ARDOMA), and Deputy Administrator Sulaik led the Awarding of the Plaques of Appreciation to Administrator Visaya. It was followed by the Awarding of the Token of Appreciation by the Top Management Officials and Managers nationwide.
In his message, Outgoing Administrator Visaya expressed his gratitude for then President Duterte and to the Agency for the opportunity of serving the Filipino farmers and the nation. He congratulated the new Acting Administrator and wished to continue what the Agency has started.
The Acceptance Message of Incoming Administrator Antiporda highlighted the Agency’s accomplishments under the term of Administrator Visaya and expressed his plans and programs to further uplift the country’s irrigation and agricultural sector under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos. Thus, he aims to revitalize irrigation development and launched the #NIAParaSaBayan.
One of the highlights of the event was the “Legacy Walk” of the Outgoing Administrator to the office hallway filled with photos of his accomplishments in more than 5 years of public service excellence in NIA.
In the afternoon, the 1st Management Meeting under Administrator Antiporda’s management was conducted at the NIA Convention Hall, 5th Floor, IEC Building. It aims to discuss the plans and programs of the new administrator with the objective of intensifying the Agency’s efforts and achievements in the years to come. One of the highlights of the meeting is the continued response and action of the Agency for the affected irrigation facilities in the recently earthquake-stricken regions. Administrator Antiporda directed the survey of all areas needed to be irrigated nationwide as he earlier expressed his goal to double up the completed irrigation projects of the Agency. Public-Public Partnership (PUP) was also tackled for the LGU-NIA partnerships. Further, he assured all regional and project managers nationwide of his support to address problems in their respective regions. Ultimately, Administrator Antiporda emphasized to all that all these are always and will be for the welfare of the Filipino people. # (DEN VICTORIA C. SELVA, Department Manager A, NIA Public Affairs and Information Staff)
