The operations of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) will not be disrupted due to the suspension of its acting Administrator Benny Antiporda, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday.
"No, there are enough people there in the NIA who know what to do. In fact, I’m meeting them after this. So, to make sure that ‘yung function ng NIA ay tuloy-tuloy,” Marcos told the reporters during the 49th founding anniversary of the Career Executive Service Board in Pasay City.
The President said he would find out why the Office of the Ombudsman suspended Antiporda.
“It happened all when I was away. So I have asked them to give me the background on what happened,” he said.
He reiterated that no changes will be made to NIA’s function.
“In fact, I supposed there was a conflict inside the agency. Baka ngayon, mawala ‘yan, baka mas gumanda pa ang takbo,” he added.
Antiporda was preventively suspended for six months without pay due to the administrative complaints filed by NIA officials, employees, and lawyers against him.
In the issued order, he is facing multiple complaints for allegedly harassing, berating and humiliating employees, prohibiting travel for managers, transferring others without a valid basis, threatening some with nonrenewal of their appointments, and many more.
However, Antiporda denied the complaints and said it was a mere “smear campaign” against him.
He also called the complaints filed “malicious" and "misleading."