Graft allegations in NIA unfounded – probe body

MANILA, Philippines - Allegations of massive graft and corruption in the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) are unfounded and without strong basis, an investigating team tasked to look into the reported irregularities said yesterday. 

In a report, the agency’s internal audit services (IAS) said its probe team unearthed not a single anomaly committed by NIA officials, as alleged by the NIA Employees Association of the Philippines (NIAEASP).

Florentino David, IAS manager, said their findings were forwarded last March 20 to the NIA board of directors, which later instructed Administrator Claro Maranan to furnish these to the NIAEASP itself and to the Department of Agriculture (DA). It will also be submitted to President Aquino.

“Based on the results of our investigation, our investigating team found certain minimal lapses in carrying out some projects but overall, we have not discovered massive anomalies as claimed by the NIAEASP,” David said.

Maranan said the investigation was arrived at after almost two weeks. He said in spite of what is happening, the NIA will continue to move forward and perform its mandate of providing irrigation to Filipino farmers.

“We are bent on instituting reforms at NIA. Along the way, certain sectors are not compatible with some officials although the complaining groups themselves admitted that the ‘allegations are not synonymous with proof,’” he said, quoting from an open letter of NIAEASP.

The IAS came out with its findings after the NIAEASP, together with three other groups, came out with the open letter on Tuesday calling on Aquino to investigate alleged irregularities in the NIA supposedly involving deputy administrators Modesto Membreve and Lorna Grace Rosario and DA Undersecretary Antonio Fleta.

In their open letter, contained in a whole-page paid advertisement in a national daily, the NIAEASP officers said they have nothing personal against Fleta and the two NIA officials but just wanted the alleged irregularities investigated and pending the results, that the three be relieved of their posts.           

The open letter followed a Feb. 6 letter-manifesto to Aquino where the NIAEASP lamented “very serious and alarming developments” in the agency.