REJOINDER TO ENGINEER’S STANDPOINT: HCAAP the UNFINISHED PROJECTS

It took sometime to prepare this rejoinder due to difficulty in identifying the unknown Structural Engineer who raised this self serving technical issue. After  studying the people/individual involved in the project particularly their motive, benefit to gain and others,   a certain Mr. Amie De La Rosa Malobago, around 45 years old of Brgy Imelda, Mondragon Northern Samar, graduate of Civil Engineering from Divine World University in Tacloban City was identified.

Early last year 2011, Mr. Malobago joined J.D. Legaspi Construction, the contractor of Contract No. HCAAPD-C-1, Construction of Hagbay Diversion Dam, Irrigation,  Drainage Canals & Appurtenant Structures, Including Supply, Delivery & Installation of Steel Gates. His Curriculum Vitae (CV) was submitted to the National Irrigation Administration Project Management Office (NIA-PMO) for evaluation to qualify as one of the Key Personnel in the Contractors’ required Organizational Chart. Based on the qualification standards stipulated in the Contract Documents between NIA and the Contractor (concurred by the Foreign Banking/Funding Institution, JICA), Mr. Malobago was found to have no substantial experience in the construction neither in design of Dam, Irrigation & Drainage Canals and other relevant structures. He did not file any reconsideration, when in fact he cannot accept the evaluation made. This leads  further to his refusal to understand that the PMO was just doing their job.  Perhaps, his first time to join a foreign assisted project like HCAAP. Due to ill-feelings, he lost fairness, objectivity and professionalism in his technical inquest, curiosity and inquiry. He went too far by his unauthorized; if not illegal retrieval (from dubious sources) of an electronic file (efile) allegedly owned by a fellow Civil Engineer Danilo de Asis. How sure are we that those marked discarded efiles he posted as screen shots are authentic and not altered to serve his purpose?    

His assessment centered on why NIA-PMO used old standard criteria in reinforced concrete design of major structures, including the high foot bridge going to the dam house control steel gates. He argued theoretically, that using old not the latest criteria lead to wrong application of right formulas and assumptions, hence, erroneous. In actual engineering practice, however, it is not erroneous to use old time tested design criteria instead of a new one. How are we going to treat structures designed and constructed using the old criteria, that is, prior to the new one?  Are they also erroneous?  It is only erroneous when an engineer  uses standards other than the accepted old/new design criteria. But, this was not the case in this project. All the design computations and good for construction drawing plans prepared by the PMO passed the bank’s consultants scrutiny and submitted for review and approval by the NIA central office. NIA engineering design is quite unique, they are not only looked structurally but also from view points of hydrology and hydraulics. Cost optimization techniques are also applied to determine an acceptable risk of damage/failure in the final design to be adapted. Professionally, he can grow better by joining NIA as design/construction engineer even only for 3 years, an opportunity to learn how irrigation projects are designed and constructed all over the country.

The Catubig Irrigation Diversion Dam, a gravity type rubble masonry, nine (9) meters high and with 65 meters crest width was completed and inaugurated last June 5 2010, not May 2011 as he reported inaccurately. It is regarded as the biggest irrigation dam in the island of Samar, if not in Region VIII. As shown in the pictures below, Embassy of Japan's Deputy Chief of Mission Minister Motohiko Kato (fourth from the left) cut the inaugural ceremonial ribbon held in Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas, Northern Samar and assisted by JICA, NIA, Provincial, Municipal and Barangay officials.

As baptism of fire, the Dam had tested  natures wrath when series of major floods occurred from December 2010 up to March 2011. During the four (4) month period, almost daily extreme heavy rain falls causing several floods, overflowing the Catubig River and submerging practically the whole project area as shown in the pictures below.

Over and above any theoretical doubts, the structural stability of the Dam speaks for itself.

On October 18, 2011 during the turn over of the NIA PMO to a new project management, the Dam was already diverting irrigation water for year round rice farming to around 600 hectares out of 1300 hectares potential area, pending completion of four (4) Lateral Canals of the Catubig Right Main Canal (CRMC). At that time, the 21 Km long CRMC from Barangay San Isidro down to San Jorge (passing 7 Barangays) in the town of Las Navas was completed and water flowed in the entire canal reached. 
 

The Dam in its Normal Operating Conditions Viewed from Up and Down streams.

CRMC Station 0+000 Viewed from Up to Down streams

CRMC Station 20+100 Viewed from Down to Up streams

The project being partially operational, had significantly improved farming activities (such as land development/preparation, using certified or good seeds, harvesting and finally  grain solar drying) as shown in the pictures below, an initial departure from the old farming practices in the area. 

Correspondingly the average rice yield per hectare, increased drastically from the traditional one & one fourth (1.25) tons harvested once a year  to four (4) tons harvested twice a year. The increased in harvest undeniably also increased initially annual farm income, meeting one of the most important project objectives, that is, to alleviate poverty in Catubig Valley.   

At present or almost ten (10) months after the took over (October 18, 2011) of the new project management, the on going Hagbay and Bulao Irrigation Sub Projects (to cover an additional total irrigable area of around 1500 hectares) suffered further delays despite the support extended by the Manager and Staff of NIA Regional Office No. VIII. Based on the PMO July 2012 report, said sub-projects were 51.1% and 54.8% behind schedule, respectively. Unfortunately, construction of the following remaining works were left untouched and still to be started : four (4) Lateral Canals of CRMC, Pinipisakan Bridge Flume (for the water from the Dam to cross the Catubig River), the 22 Km long Catubig Left Main Canal (CLMC) and its nine (9) Lateral Canals to cover another 2000 hectares irrigable area. Bad enough, substantial loan amount still to be disbursed will be closed on January 2013, barely five (5) months from now.

For references purposes, the personal profile of the previous PMO technical  core group are enumerated as follows :

Reinerio E. Irinco; Project Manager; Monthly Project Co-Terminous; BSAE with MS in Water Resources from University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City; 38 years NIA experience, including part time consulting services. He retired recently from NIA government service for more challenges in the private sector.

Prisco O. Boco III; Principal Engineer C; Monthly Project Co-Terminous; BSCE with MS  units earned and top placer in CE Board; 20 years NIA experience. He returned to NIA Regional Office No VIII in Tacloban City to join his family and lately was hired Engineering Consultant in one of the projects of NIA Consult in Quezon City.

Danilo L. De Asis; Principal Engineer C; Monthly Project Co-Terminous; BSCE with MS units earned; Ten (10) years NIA experience. He resigned from the NIA PMO and joined another foreign assisted irrigation project in Laos.

David Irorita; Principal Engineer C; Monthly Project Co-Terminous; BSCE; 20 years NIA experience. He returned to his family in Mindanao and re-joined Maridagao-Malitubog Irrigation Project, another NIA foreign assisted project.    

Buenaventura S. Poso, Jr.; Supervising Engineer A; Monthly Project Co-Terminous; BSCE and top placer in CE Board; Nine (9) years NIA experience. He is still with the NIA PMO as Design Unit Chief and Assistant Project Engineer.

Denis C. Lozano; Senior Engineer A; Monthly Project Co-Terminous; BSCE with MS units earned; Nine (9) years NIA experience. He is still with NIA-PMO as Design Unit Assistant Chief.

Elmerson M. Legarse; Supervising Engineer A; Monthly Project Co-Terminous; BSME; Nine (9) years NIA experience. He is still with NIA PMO as Equipment Unit Chief and supervises the design and installation of dam steel gates, among others.       

The computer literate and working full time core group (were all sons of Samar, except one from Mindanao) was complemented with a number of support technical staff from Northern Samar with employment status either as casual, contractual and Job Order.