TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Governor Jocel Baac has issued an executive order creating a task force to evaluate, supervise and monitor the completion of the on-going rehabilitation of the Upper Chico River Irrigation System canal (UCRIS).
This is the result of a joint meeting of provincial mandated bodies, the National Irrigation Administration-Kalinga Irrigation Management Office (NIA-KIMO) and contractor Markbilt Construction/RD Policarpio and Co. Inc. with irrigators associations affected by the delayed rehab project.
The task force is chaired by the governor. Its members include Tabuk City Mayor Ferdinand Tubban, KBC Pres. Andres Ngao-i, DILG head Francisco Gamatero, Col. Roy Devesa, Fr. Roman Macaiba, Basilio Baluyan of DZRK , Peter Balocnit of the Philippine Information Agency, and representatives from various sectors -Michael Lumas-i( irrigators group), Jaime Almora (farmers), Harry Tibangay (agrarian communities), Patsy Abibico(women) and Tabuk City Association of Barangay Chairman president Henry Tubban Jr.
The task force has the duty to evaluate, supervise and monitor the completion of the on-going rehabilitation of the UCRIS.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan earlier passed Resolution No. 2015-097 supporting the moves of the Upper Chico River Irrigation System Federation of Irrigators’ Associations and the Tabuk City Cooperative Development Council for the rescission of contract due to the poor performance of the contractor incurring more than 50 percent negative slippage as of July.
The rehab work of the UCRIS funded under the P425M loan from the World Bank started two years ago and targeted to be completed this September.
As contained in the EO , the contractor is allowed to continue implementing the P425 million World Bank loan project for practical reasons as it is barely three months left before the term of the contract ends. However, the agreement is without prejudice of any legal action that the NIA might take against said contractor, the EO provides./PIA
