Chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger and Chairman of the NIA Board, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei P. Nograles, gathered NIA Cebu Irrigation Management Office employees and Irrigators’ Associations Officers for a short and informal meeting this morning at the Bayfront Hotel, Cebu City.
In his brief message, Cab. Sec. Nograles requested NIA’s continued support for the Communal Irrigation Systems (CIS) which will be devolved to the corresponding 1st to 4th class LGUs in the implementation of the Mandanas Ruling. By virtue of this ruling, LGUs will be the one to manage, maintain, rehabilitate, and/or restore the CIS.
Cab. Sec also sought NIA’s help in encouraging IAs to participate in the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP), the banner program of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger. This program is one of the government’s way in helping the farmers earn more, mitigate hunger, and reduce poverty in urban and rural communities by providing direct buyers for farmers’ products with no third party involved. The goal is to get all 17 NIA Regional Offices’ Irrigators Associations to participate in the banner program.
Aside from the devolution and EPHAP, Cab. Sec Nograles also mentioned he is currently working on NIA employees’ request for inclusion to the Salary Standardization Law V and is hopeful to get positive response from the Governance Commission for GOCCs.
Cab. Sec. Nograles called for this meeting with NIA Cebu IMO prior to attending other Pre-SONA engagements and meetings. He shared that in most of his visits to different Regions, NIA is always the first agency he would likely want to visit.
Cab. Sec. also donated face shields and sanitizers for NIA employees and Irrigators Associations in the event.