Irrigation projects flagged

SENATOR Rafael “Raffy” T. Tulfo on Wednesday listed what he said were hundreds of millions of pesos worth of anomalous irrigation projects that continue to get government funding despite years of having been delayed.

During a hearing, the senator said the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) had a 1% accomplishment rate even if it has been receiving enough budget.

Mr. Tulfo cited the decades-old Balog-Balog multipurpose project in Tarlac province that started during the presidency of the Corazon C. Aquino. The project received P12 billion in appropriations from 2013 to 2022, he said.

The Bulo small reservoir irrigation project in Bulacan, which has yet to be completed, received a P990-million funding in 2015, the senator said.

The Marimay small irrigation project in Apayao, which got P650 million in 2015, also has yet to be finished, Mr. Tulfo said. — J.J. Cacdac