Duterte urged to sack NIA chief for Cagayan dam flooding mess

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte was urged to immediately fire National Irrigation Administration chief Ricardo Visaya, a retired AFP chief of staff, for not assuming leadership in the programmed discharging of the Magat Dam that could have eased the flooding in Cagayan and nearby provinces during Typhoon Ulysses.

“He should have assumed leadership to call the shots for programmed discharging,” said lawyer Terry Ridon, convenor of the infrastructure watchdog InfrawatchPH. 

Ridon said that waters should have been released two to three days prior to the expected landfall of the typhoon, citing PAGASA's dams water level updates over the period of two and a half weeks. But the Magat Dam gates were still closed three to four days prior to Ulysses' landfall.

Ridon said that NIA should have led the situation.  

“Leadership is needed there. It is difficult to depend on the operator on the field," he said in mixed Filipino and English. “If they have opened the dam gates the whole week, they would have avoided moving with urgency in the end."

Magat Dam’s seven gates were opened at 24 meters from four meters on Thursday.

InfrawatchPH also reviewed PAGASA's dams water level updates from October 27 to November 14 during which typhoons Quinta, Rolly, Siony, Tonyo and Ulysses battered Luzon island. They observed that Ipo Dam opened its four gates only on November 12 during and after Ulysses pummeled Luzon island while Angat Dam opened its two gates only on November 12.

The Caliraya Dam issued a notice of dam discharge to local governments only on November 12.

“Tell us again, Mr. President: how is this not criminal incompetence?," the InfrawatchPH convenor raised.