October 2018

NIA inaugurates newly...

10/02/2018 - 3:47pm

NIA receives ISO 9001:...

10/16/2018 - 3:19pm

NIA opens P74-million...

10/17/2018 - 1:20pm

NIA inaugurates newly rehabilitated Mal RIS, turns over IA buildings and support facilities

October 2, 2018, 3:47 PM

NIA Region XI – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) inaugurated the newly rehabilitated Mal River Irrigation System (Mal RIS) and turned over Irrigators Association (IA) Buildings and Support Facilities in the municipalities of Matanao and Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, respectively, on September 21, 2018. Assistant Secretary Jann Roby R. Otero, Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Yoshio Wada, and NIA Deputy Administrator (DA) for Administrative and Finance Sector Romeo G Gan led the said events.

The rehabilitation of Mal RIS amounting to P104.294 million is a JICA-funded project under the National Irrigation Sector Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (NISRIP) which has 11 projects located nationwide.

The project includes the construction of six (6) units of Irrigators’ Association (IA) Offices (84 square meters each), three (3) units of combined IA offices and warehouse (200 square meters each), 16.1 kilometers of concrete canal lining, construction and repair of 20 structures, five (5) new steel gates, and 15.7 kilometers of grading and gravelling, among others.

Mal RIS, whose water sources come from Mal River in Matanao, is expected to provide timely and reliable irrigation service to 2,635 hectares of agricultural land in the municipalities of Matanao, Kiblawan, and Hagonoy in Davao del Sur, benefitting 3,720 farmers and their families.

In his message, DA Gan emphasized the significance of the project components and its contribution in uplifting the lives of the local farmers.

“The rehabilitation of Mal RIS will translate into efficient operation and maintenance eventually, optimization of the benefits derived from this irrigation system. The IA building and post-harvest facilities are important components of this project. The new building which will house the IA Office will serve as a conducive workplace where meetings can be held, records and documents can be secured, and a place where different agencies can coordinate with the IA. The post-harvest facilities would ensure quality of rice produced. Thus, gaining higher price for the commodity and eventually increasing the farmers’ income”, said DA Gan.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), as the lead government agency mandated to develop all possible sources of water for irrigation, continues to be dedicated on its mandate of providing reliable and sustainable irrigation services to our farmers through the construction of irrigation projects and rehabilitation of existing irrigation systems.

Veering away from mere irrigation service, the Agency has also embarked on the development of hydroelectric and floating solar power projects. It is also aiming to venture into agri-tourism through the development of existing big dams as tourist destination.

Finally, NIA is now ascertaining its vital contribution to the inclusive socio-economic growth and agricultural development of the country through an efficient, sustainable, and reliable irrigation service to the Filipino farmers, thus lowering the poverty incidence in the irrigated agricultural sector.

**For questions and/or clarifications, you may contact:

PILIPINA P. BERMUDEZ, CESE
Department Manager A
NIA Public Affairs and Information Staff
E-mail: vparamio@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0995 251 7847
Landline: 921-3741

NIA receives ISO 9001:2015 Certification

October 16, 2018, 3:19 PM

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is now International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 Certified after being assessed by the AJA Registrars on September 12, 2018.

AJA is the third-party ISO-accredited certifying body that audited NIA’s Quality Management System (QMS) for public administration of irrigation services on June 27-28, 2018 and bestowed the registration certificate under the management of Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya.

The audit was conducted to determine the NIA’s compliance with the standards of ISO. The scope of registration focused on the major activities of the four sites of the Agency namely: a) Central Office, b) Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS), c) Regional Office IV-A, and d) Quezon Irrigation Management Office (Quezon IMO) in Lucena City, Quezon Province.

NIA transitioned from ISO 9001:2008 to the newer version of 9001 series (ISO 9001:2015) since the certification of the former had expired on September 15, 2018. The transition is also part of the Agency’s continual improvement in the delivery of services. It also aims to expand its coverage to include all regional offices across the country.

For 55 years, NIA remains committed to its mandate to develop, construct, operate, and maintain irrigation systems as vital contribution to the inclusive socio-economic growth and agricultural development of the country.

NIA opens P74-million Libmanan-Cabusao Pumping Station

October 17, 2018, 1:20 PM

NIA Region V – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), headed by Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya, conducted the Blessing and Inauguration Ceremony of the new P74-million Pumping Station of the Libmanan-Cabusao Pump Irrigation System (LCPIS) in Awayan, Sipocot, Camarines Sur on October 11, 2018.

The newly inaugurated pumping station has four units of brand new 250 HP diesel engines and pumps which will irrigate 2,195 hectares of farmlands, benefitting 1,728 farmers and their families in 10 barangays in Libmanan and two barangays in Cabusao, Camarines Sur.

The LCPIS was originally constructed in the early 1980s under the Integrated Area Development Program of the Philippine government with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The original pumping station had four units of electrically-driven engines and pumps. In 1998, the electric engines were replaced with diesel engines and only two remain operational today.

Camarines Sur has the largest potential irrigable area of 123,700 hectares among the six provinces of Bicol Region. As of June 2018, NIA has already irrigated a total service area of 77,043 hectares in Camarines Sur, attaining 62.28 percent of irrigation development. Thus, this new pumping station of LCPIS is projected to add to the percentage of irrigation development in the province.

NIA, as the lead government agency mandated to develop all possible sources of water for irrigation, remains dedicated on its mandate of providing efficient, reliable, and sustainable irrigation service to the Filipino farmers through the construction, rehabilitation, restoration, and maintenance of irrigation systems nationwide.

**For questions and/or clarifications, you may contact:

PILIPINA P. BERMUDEZ, CESE
Department Manager A
NIA Public Affairs and Information Staff
E-mail: vparamio@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0995 251 7847
Landline: 921-3741