National Irrigation Administrator Marcelino Tugaoen Jr. yesterday assured two Negros solons that repairs at the Bago River Irrigation System to enable its operation by May 15, in time for the next cropping season, will be completed on time.

Tugaoen gave the assurance to Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) and Rep. Ignacio Arroyo Jr. (Neg. Occ., 5th District) who met him yesterday to air the concerns of rice farmers covered by the BRIS.

Ferrer stressed that a delay in the operation of the irrigation system would be to the detriment of the farmers in his district.

Tugaoen told the DAILY STAR he assured the two solons the NIA will make sure the China Waters and Electric Corp. complies with its deadline or it will face sanctions.

He also said the NIA would ensure that Filipino subcontractors tapped by the Chinese firm would be paid. Complaints have been aired that CWEC owes them about P15 million.

The NIA has given CWEC that won a P773-million contract to repair the BRIS a deadline to achieve zero work slippage or the NIA will take over its work, NIA project manager Samuel Japitana said earlier.

NIA has been calling on CWEC to address its now negative 8 percent work slippage that the firm said has been caused by rains and a problem with its quarry permit, Japitana said.

The entire repair contract is supposed to be completed by March 2009.*CPG

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