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By Bohol Standard

STILL smarting from unresolved sensitive irrigation-related issues, the National Irrigation Administration and irrigator-associations (IAs) “have agreed” in principle to work on important improvements of the “mega-dams” in Pilar, Ubay and San Miguel towns and iron out kinks particularly the controversial irrigation user’s fee (ISF).

This transpired during the meeting held at Bo-ol Parish rectory, Tagbilaran City presided over by NIA Engr. Frank F. Fusingan with the presence of Rev. Fr. Junix Nalzaro, as convenor; NIA Engr. Evelyn Putong, Mr. Alfredo Elmer Doblas of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as facilitator; Mr. Takafumi Suzuki fo JICA; Mr. Walter Balonga of NGO-Kinabuhi, Inc.; and Ma. Ira Pamat of NGO-Women Development Center (WDC).

Among the agreed courses of action include that the NGOs concerned “will be provided with minutes of every convergence meeting and the schedules of works to be performed by contractors and they (NGOs) can be part of the monitoring of these works and the monitoring team “can supervise every phase of the project implementation.”

The implementation likely includes the raising of the height of the Malinao Dam in this town with the Yen Loan Technical Assistance (YLTA) contained in the Action Plan for 2012.

The plan contains the funding of PhP 46 million for Bayongan Dam and Ubay town based Capayas Dam and PhP92 million for Malinao Dam. The fund would include the concreting of the canals “so that proper water distribution is achieved.”

“Engr. Putong has this to say on Malinao Dam: “the two-meter height-extension of Malinao Dam as recommended solution since the 2-meter height was already a property of NIA and that the buffer zone of another 2-meter is probable since no record of heavy rainfall happened,” said the minutes of the meeting.

Earlier, farmer-beneficiaries assailed the plan of raising the height of the said Malinao Dam, saying it is not the solution but the most important is to address the lack of water in the already leveled lands.

For their part, the beneficiaries or IAs and NGOs “must be vigilant upon contractors regarding the quality and standards of the concreting as class B with 1-2-3 mixture and they have to help clean their respective canals to prevent heavy siltation and to make water reach the target service areas.

On the payments, ISF “may not be collected (from IAs) if no water ever reach the farmers’ lots.” Earlier, lot beneficiaries cry foul against NIA for collection made even without water being served the farmlands. Farmer-beneficiaries were made to pay the ISF to NIA of about 150 kilos to 175 kiloes per hectare per harvest.


According to the WDC, landowners are made to pay ISF in the amount of P1,500 per hectare or its equivalent to number of kilos of palay harvest and it was increased to P2,000/ha..

A total of 1,363 farmer-landowners supposedly the beneficiaries of Malinao Dam irrigation (stage I) services in Pilar and neighboring towns are still languishing in paying debts arising from “expensive” ISF but with “poor” water supply to the farms, according to WDC.

Debts

A total of 1,363 farmer-landowners supposedly the beneficiaries of Malinao Dam irrigation (stage I) services in Pilar and neighboring towns are still languishing in paying debts arising from “expensive” irrigation service fees or ISF but with “poor” water supply to their farms, documents obtained an NGO bared.

Some of them have almost settled their obligations with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) with insignificant amounts, less than a hundred pesos. But others are still reeling to pay several thousands of pesos. For instance, an account as high as P1,397,929.49 and the amount due the NIA still amounting to P69,896.47. There’s another account with only P1,506 and his remaining payable is only P75.25. Names of these accounts are, however, withheld for reason of confidentiality.

Each of the beneficiaries, who belongs to a certain irrigators association, has his own account number with corresponding amount and amount due, documents bared. Names of the beneficiaries who still have pending dues are withheld temporarily.

Based on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by the beneficiary-landowner and NIA, the irrigation is designed to service some 4,960 hectares but only 2,007 are fully developed irrigated rice paddies. The remaining 2,953 hectares remain ordinary rice paddies.

The MOA stipulates, among others, that farmer-landowner “shall pay development cost per hectare for the converted land which include cost of labor, tools and implements, equipment rental, as the case maybe.” The total cost is amortized for ten years in equal installment in 20 equal payments every crop harvest.

On its part, NIA provides financial and technical support, such as “paddy development, planning/construction, land area survey before and after land leveling,” to the farmer-landowner, the agreement provides. Other farm equipment that NIA should provide include soil scrapper, garden hoes, plows and other farm implements. But these were allegedly not met, said reliable sources.

Balonga, during the said meeting, that the farmers “were deceived on two occasions” because the Memorandum of Understanding they signed “didn’t contain the two-meter expansion and secondly, the signature of one affected was forged.”

For her part, Pamat asserted that relocation plan and funds “must be given to the affected” residents of Aurora and that the “MOU must be transparent.”

As to the non-payment of the submerged lands, Balonga said that owners of these lands were not paid of their dues by Engr. Fusingan argued that payment are made as long as proof or documentary evidence are presented by claimants. “For double claims, or multiple claims, the payment is withheld until the case is settled in the proper court, Dept. of Agrarian Reform or Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, as the case may be,” Fusingan added.

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