NIA greenlights budget for Bustos Dam gate repair – Fernando
By Manny Balbin | Philippine News Agency | June 19, 2025 8:57pm
TROUBLED DAM. Teenaged boys have fun playing at Bustos Dam in Bulacan on April 11, 2023. Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando has demanded the immediate replacement of the dam’s defective rubber gates, especially after its third gate failed on May 1, 2025, raising concerns about the structure’s capacity to handle monsoon rains. (PNA file photo by Joan Bondoc)
MALOLOS, Bulacan – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has agreed to allocate a budget for the repair of the damaged rubber gates of Bustos Dam in Bulacan province, the Provincial Public Affairs Office (PPAO) said Thursday.
In a statement, PPAO said this was announced by Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando during a joint meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC), Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC), and Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) at The Pavilion, Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center.
NIA earlier requested a PHP1.5-billion budget from the Office of the President for the full rehabilitation of Bustos Dam.
At the same time, Fernando reiterated his demand to hold the contractor, ITP Construction Inc.–Guangxi Hydroelectric Construction Bureau Co. Ltd. Consortium, accountable for the defective rubber gates.
“Lubos naming pinapahalagahan ang pangkahalatang kaligtasan ng ating mamamayan kaya naman patuloy ang pakikipag-ugnayan ng inyong lingkod sa National Irrigation Administration upang mapanagot ang TP Construction, Inc.–Guangxi Hydroelectric Construction Bureau Co., Ltd. Consortium sa pagkakaroon ng substandard materials sa rubber gates ng Bustos Dam (We value the overall safety of our constituents so we continue to coordinate with the National Irrigation Authority to hold the contractor liable for the substandard materials),” Fernando, who is also the PPOC chairperson, said.
Bustos Dam is being managed by NIA.
The joint meeting —the second for this year— served as a platform to address crucial issues impacting Bulacan, ranging from disaster preparedness to local governance.
Source: Philippine News Agency
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