NIA employees’ group says no role in Antiporda case

MANILA, Philippines — The National Irrigation Administration Employees’ Association of the Philippines (NIAEASP) has denied having consented to the filing of a complaint against Benny Antiporda, the NIA chief.

In a statement, the group said its “national council did not authorize its chapters and district officers and members to initiate the filing (of complaint) against the suspended NIA chief.”

“If ever there are NIAEASP officers or members who are complainants in the case, they did so in their personal capacity,” the group’s president Eduardo Yu said.

A part of the group’s official statement reads: “The National Council of the NIA Employees Association of the Philippines categorically disowns and denies any role or participation in the filing of complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against NIA administrator Benny Antiporda.”

Last Sept. 5, the NIAEASP passed a resolution expressing its support for Antiporda’s leadership.

“That resolution still stands and remains unchanged,” Yu said.

Antiporda, who was suspended by the anti-graft office, said the allegations hurled against him are part of a demolition job to remove him from office to cover up anomalies in the agency.

“Their objective is to let the President see so I can be removed from office,” he said in a phone interview, referring to the NIA concerned employees and the agency’s lawyers.

He added that “it is the prerogative of the management to reshuffle, to deliver on the mandate of food security. The accomplishments of our irrigation sector are way, way low. With that, we fought against corruption first. But the prerogative of management was unsavory to them.”

The six-page suspension order dated Nov. 15 was based on complaints filed against Antiporda by NIAEASP lawyer Allain Cudal, corporate board secretary Michelle Raymundo and anonymous workers of the agency.

Cudal and Mary Annabelle Cruz-Domingo were earlier accused by Antiporda of graft and corruption before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Both allegedly violated Republic Act 3019 or Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, Gross Inexcusable Negligence, Misconduct and Conduct Unbecoming of Public Officers in the performance of their official duties.

This came after the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) ruled in favor of Green Asia Construction Development Corp. and held the NIA liable to pay P205.96 million.

In 2016, Green Asia was awarded the contract to rehabilitate the irrigation canals and install steel gates along the 22-kilometer canal from Gapan, Nueva Ecija to San Ildefonso, Bulacan at a contract price of P296.93 million.

The canals are part of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System.

In 2020, the contract was terminated, with both sides having conflicting claims as to who caused the delays. The case was brought before the CIAC, which ruled in favor of Green Asia in February this year.

This case is appealable to the Court of Appeals through a petition for review, but Cudal and Cruz-Domingo filed a motion for reconsideration instead, which is a prohibited pleading before the CIAC while a petition for certiorari was dismissed by the CA for being the wrong remedy.

Antiporda said the NIA stands to lose the Green Asia case due to the officials’ lackadaisical attitude and cavalier handling of the case.