UPRIIS head sets record as 1st female irrigation manager in Phl

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija, October 30, 2011-A multi-titled division manager of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has entered the history books as the first-ever female operations manager in the country after she was appointed the new chief of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS), the operator of the giant Pantabangan Dam.

Josephine Salazar, erstwhile division 3 manager, assumed the post of UPRIIS operations manager vice Reynaldo Puno during turn-over rites at the system’s headquarters here Thursday night.

Salazar is the youngest and the first female to head a national irrigation system supervised administratively by the male-dominated NIA in its 48-year history. She was barely one year old when the agency was created by then-President Diosdado Macapagal.

Her appointment was approved by Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and NIA Administrator Antonio Nangel who both sit in the NIA Board.

Salazar succeeded Puno who assumed the post of regional irrigation manager (RIM) for Central Luzon, replacing Manuel Collado who was re-assigned as RIM for Region 1. Her previous post, meanwhile, is now occupied by engineer Jose Ariel Domingo.

Salazar told newsmen her appointment was overwhelming. “All the hard work paid off,” she said, adding she would try to duplicate and continue on the gains achieved under Puno’s watch.

UPRIIS is the country’s largest national irrigation system (NIS). It irrigates 102,000 hectares of agricultural lands in Central Luzon which also hosts the third largest NIS – the Angat Maasim River Irrigation System that runs and operates the Bustos Dam in Bulacan.      

Prior to her appointment at UPRIIS, Salazar was adjudged as the most outstanding frontline irrigation manager in 2010 by an evaluation committee of the agency for steering Division 3 in achieving the highest record in physical and financial performance in the management and operation among the 49 irrigation management offices and national systems.

Division 3, which Salazar started managing in 2008, posted a net income of P40.42 million in 2010, from P32.8 million in 2009 and P14 million in 2008. For the first semester of 2011, it has posted a net income of P50 million. It also posted a viability index of 2.24 percent, from 1.33 percent in 2008.

It was the second consecutive yearly award received by Salazar who, in 2009, also emerged as most outstanding irrigation management officer, best irrigation service fee (ISF) provider also in 2009, ISF top grosser for 2010 of P73.19 million, highest ISF back account collection for 2010 (P14.39 million).     

Salazar’s division was also given the best managed frontline irrigation service award. It was also recognized as most viable IMO for 2010 and best maintained division. (Jason de Asis)