BY DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
Bohol Vice Gov. Nicanor Besas has blamed the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and its contractor for alleged problems plaguing the Mabini-Cayacay Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (SRIP).
Besas made the statement after a hearing by the Committee of the Whole of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on July 3, 2026.
The SRIP has drawn public criticism over alleged defects in the project, which became controversial after a video showing damage to its lateral canal went viral on social media.
The reported defects have exposed that the project may be substandard, despite its intended benefits for farmers in the towns of Alicia and Mabini.
The committee recommended that the governor form a fact-finding team to further investigate the issue, saying the matter was broad and required deeper scrutiny.
Board members said they were unsatisfied with NIA’s explanations, which they said appeared evasive.
NIA officials attended the hearing along with local government officials from Alicia and Mabini, a whistleblower, and representatives from the Provincial Engineering Office and the Provincial Legal Office.
The SP began investigating the matter after Gov. Aris Aumentado requested a probe into alleged anomalies at the SRIP.
Board members Nathaniel Binlod and Lucille Lagunay both raised issues during the hearing over the alleged anomalies.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated the project on June 22, 2026 with officials saying it was expected to benefit hundreds of farmers.
Whistleblower says 60 days not enough to fix SRIP canal
Boholano whistleblower Danny Elloro said 60 days is not enough time to repair the lateral canal of the Mabini-Cayacay Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (SRIP).
Elloro said the canal was already damaged before water began flowing from the reservoir.
He said he learned that the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) was directed by board member Nathaniel Binlod to complete repairs within two months.
Elloro was among the resource persons invited to the hearing of the Committee of the Whole of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
He said nearly the entire canal has problems, and without additional manpower, NIA would struggle to meet the deadline.
According to Elloro, only about a meter of canal had been repaired after a week of work.
The canal stretches roughly 20 kilometers across five barangays.
Repair work is currently underway in Barangay Abaca in Mabini, with much of the project still incomplete.
Elloro said the repair work must be done properly to ensure it is built to last.
BIG-TIME INAUGURATION
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado on June 22, 2026 inaugurated the P833.37-million-peso irrigation project, days before local officials ordered a probe into reported defects in parts of the canal system.
The Mabini-Cayacay Small Reservoir Irrigation Project, built by the National Irrigation Administration in Barangay Abaca, Mabini, is designed to boost farm output and shield growers from prolonged dry spells linked to climate change, officials said.
The facility will irrigate 530 hectares spanning four barangays in Mabini — Abaca, San Roque, Aguipo and Cabidian — as well as Barangay Cayacay in the neighboring town of Alicia, benefiting an estimated 717 farmers.
Officials said many of them would be able to shift from two to three cropping cycles a year.
The system draws water from the Baujanan and Cawasan creeks into a reservoir with a 3.82-million-cubic-meter capacity, held by a dam 32.20 meters high and 210 meters long.
An ungated ogee-weir spillway and an 11.31-kilometer main canal complete the infrastructure.
Marcos, speaking at the inauguration, described the project as a safeguard for farmers against worsening climate impacts.
Aumentado called it a lifeline for the agricultural sector and a driver of rural development.
Soon after the ceremony, however, Aumentado ordered an inquiry following reports and public complaints about possible defects in sections of the irrigation canal.
Repair work has since begun, but the provincial government said it was pushing for a deeper investigation into the project’s construction and implementation.