CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–The
multi-awarded chief of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems,
has been adjudged as outstanding operations
manager by the National Irrigation Administration.
Josephine
Salazar, UPRIIS operations manager, was conferred the prestigious award by NIA
Administrator Claro Maranan and senior deputy administrator Felix Razo during
awarding ceremonies at the agency’s central office in Quezon City during its
51st anniversary celebration Friday.
The
Personnel Reward And Incentives System Evaluation (PRAISE) committee chaired by
Razo cited Salazar for her “exemplary leadership and good governance of UPRIIS
which contributed significantly to NIA’s corporate viability and more
importantly to the food security program of the government.”
Aside from Razo,
the committee was also composed of deputy administrator Lorna Grace Rosario
(vice chairman) and deputy administrator Modesto Membreve, Rebecca Malazarte,
Angelina Angeles, Conchita Calsana and Louella Mercado, members.
Salazar posted an over-all
ranking of 90.84 after UPRIIS ranked highly in terms of operation and
maintenance, financial performance, institutional development, project
implementation.
UPRIIS,
under her stewardship posted an irrigation service fee (ISF) collection of
P297.9 million in 2013, up from P280.196 million in 2012.
A holder of a masteral degree in
regional development at the University of Queensland, Australia in 2004, Salazar
is on record as the youngest and first-ever female operations manager to head a
NIS administratively supervised by the male-dominated NIA in its 51-year
history.
Before becoming operations manager ,
she served in various capacities as engineer A, engineer B, senior engineer A,
supervising enginer and principal engineer C of UPRIIS’Division 3.
Salazar,
who was three months old when NIA was created by then-President Diosdado
Macapagal, was also adjudged most outstanding irrigation management officer and
best irrigation service fee (ISF) provider in 2009 and most outstanding
division manager of the year, ISF top grosser in 2010 and highest ISF back
account collection in 2010.
Her division was
also given the best managed frontline irrigation service award, most viable
irrigation management office (IMO) and best maintained division in 2010.
In
September 2012, President Aquino conferred on her the prestigious Pag-asa Award
of the Civil Service Commission for exemplary performance in government
service.
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. (Manny Galvez)
