The National Irrigation Administration should stop accepting additional projects without finishing the prior ones, Senator Cynthia Villar said, as she chided the agency over its low performance in completing irrigation projects in the country.

During the continuation of the budget hearing on NIA's 2024 Proposed National Expenditure Program on Thursday, Villar scored the agency over the number of projects that are still 10 percent and below completion status.

Villar was irked over those irrigation projects proposed five years ago but are still 2 to 5 percent in completion.

NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen said most of the projects were still for bidding.

"2018 for bidding? That is not bidding anymore. There's an accomplishment but it's below 10 percent. Na-bid na ito pero ang sama ng accomplishment," Villar said in Filipino.

Citing the NIA's project list, Villar criticized how the NIA left the projects behind by 10 percent accomplishment despite the release of funding allotments.

"Alam niyo mas maganda mas less project pero may ginagawa, kaysa kadami-daming project puro 5 percent, 10 percent. Ano yan? Walang impact 'yan sa tao. Ano bang kalokohan iyan? Puro simula, wala namang mangyayari 'dyan," she said.

"Katakot-takot ang project puro simula," she added.

Villar eventually cooled down: "Ang point ko'wag na kayo mag identify ng bagong projects kung hindi niyo pa natatapos iyan puro 10 percent."

The senator also questioned NIA's proposal of projects with environmental issues.

"Sa dami ng ating gagawin bakit kailangan i-recommend niyo ang project na may environmental issues and it will take you 10 years to solve, sayang naman 'yung nilagay na pera doon," she said.

Guillen responded that the initial funding was released only for reconstruction and feasibility studies.

"Part po kasi ito ng preliminary engineering and local engineering," he added.

Villar also hit NIA's conduct of feasibility studies amid the agency's tight budget.

"Bakit ba kayo feasibility ng feasibility eh gawin niyo na lang kung ano 'yung feasible. Hindi ko maintindihan 'yun kasi wala naman kayong pera e di gawin niyo na lang yung something feasible," she lamented.

She then urged to limit the conduct of feasibility students to prevent wasting government funds and slowing down project completion.

"Imagine? Two and a half million only for feasibility studies? Is it your job to conduct feasibility studies or to make irrigation facilities? It is not your job to make feasibility studies, if I were you, become practical, I would do what is feasible with your limited budget, and why waste money?", Villar said.

Guillen meanwhile said the NIA is now working on ditching feasibility studies since the National Economic and Development Authority is no longer requiring it for those projects amounting to below P2 billion.

"That's our current thrust now. We see that those projects with below 2.5 billion budget, NEDA doesn't require feasibility study on it when I assumed the office, I ordered the removal of feasibility studies on all projects below 2.5 billion," he said.

He, however, noted that NEDA still requires preliminary engineering of the projects, accompanied by geotechnical studies.

Guillen said the NIA is committed to addressing the hounding issues in the agency.

He added that they will no longer propose a project until the ongoing irrigation projects are completed, as advised by Villar.

The NIA chief said they are eyeing to reallocate the funding of incomplete previous projects to the latest irrigation projects