Senator Cynthia Villar speaks in a Senate hearing on October 19, 2023. (Photo from Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar on Thursday questioned an official of National Irrigation Administration (NIA) over the agency’s supposed unfinished projects in the country.
During the hearing of Senate subcommittee on finance on the proposed 2024 budget of NIA, Villar unleashed her ire over unfinished irrigation projects in the Philippines.
“You have to decide whether you’ll abandon the project or continue with the project,” Villar told NIA.
The senator heads Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform.
Her remarks come after she noticed that most of the projects of the administration, even if it was launched years ago, remain at a low completion rate.
Villar noted one of these projects is Balog-Balog Dam in Tarlac, which, to date, is only 50 percent done.
“50 percent pa lang hanggang ngayon. Eh kung ako si PNoy ay pagbababarilin ko kayo kapag ‘di nyo tinapos ang Balog-Balog within my term. Di ba?” Villar blurted in frustration.
(It’s only 50 percent done so far. Well, if I were PNoy, I would shoot you if you don’t finish Balog-Balog within my term. Right?)
“Kaya ka naging Presidente para tapusin mo ang project sa bayan mo. Namatay na si PNoy, 2023 [na] at nasa 50 percent pa [rin],”
(That’s why you became the President to finish the project in your town. PNoy has died. It’s [already] 2023 and it is [still] at 50 percent.)
At the receiving end of her wrath was NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen, who initially explained that some projects face delay due to “environmental issues.”
He later added that funding was the biggest cost of concern for NIA’s unfinished projects.
“Noong masimulan ang project na mai-bid ay maliit lang ang natatanggap nila na yearly allocation, kaya unti-unti [ang paggawa] at hindi po full blown,” explained Guillen.
(After bidding the project began, [we] only receive a small annual allocation, so [the work] was gradual and not full blown.)
But Villar proceeded to ask Department of Budget and Management (DBM) if there was truth to Guillen’s claim.
“Nire-release-san namin sila. Kasama po namin sila sa agencies or government-owned and controlled corporations na comprehensively released ang budget,” said DBM Assistant Director Elena Regina Brillantes.
(We are releasing them [funds]. They are among the agencies or GOCCs whose budgets were comprehensively released.)
Guillen, however, stood his ground and said DBM does release funds, but not the full amount.
NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen (second from right, in blue suit) grilled by Senator Cynthia Villar over unfinished projects in a Senate hearing on October 19, 2023. (Photo screengrabbed from YouTube channel of Senate)
Later in the hearing, Villar once again lamented NIA’s supposed unfinished projects, tying it to the problems of the country’s agriculture sector.
“Lokohan ba ‘yan? Puro salita lang ‘yan walang ginagawa. Kaya pala ganito ang agriculture natin eh.”
(Is that foolishness? These are just words with no actions. That’s why our agriculture is like this.)
In the end, Guillen proposed to submit a “catch up plan” to the committee, with the goal of identifying which irrigation projects may be immediately completed and used.
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