Irrigators elect new officers

Bicol Mail

Leaders of various irrigators associations (IA)  in the Bicol region have chosen their new set of officers and trustees in an election held Wednesday, May 30, at the regional office of the National Irrigation Administration in this city.

Elected officers and members of the Board of Trustees of the Bicol Region Confederation of Irrigators Associations (BIRCIA) are: President: Silvestre “Silver” Bonto (CamSur); Vice President  Internal Affairs: Alfredo Aquino (Catanduanes);  VP External Affairs: Daniel Estrella (CamNorte); Secretary: Juanito Bajas (CamNorte); Treasurer: Adonis dela Cruz (Masbate); Auditor: Rolando Embile (Sorsogon); and PRO: Edmundo Nachor (CamSur).

The new members of BIRCIA’s Board of Trustees are: Antonio Villafuerte (CamNorte); Leon Bufete (Albay); Visitacion Racho (Albay); Pete Mancera (CamNorte); Estephany Breboneria (CamSur); Felizardo Suaviso (Catanduanes); Purisimo Camacho (Masbate) and Jose Caranez (Sorsogon).

BIRCIA has a membership of 367 IAs regionwide with a total membership of 59,822 farmer-irrigators.

Bonto was first elected BIRCIA president in 2001. In 2004, he was elected as the national president of the National Confederation of Irrigators Association, which boasts of some 900,000 farmer-irrigators nationwide. Both positions he holds at present,  pending the holding of new elections for NCIA sometime in July 2012.

The Bicolano farmer leader is also the chairman of the Angat-Ahon Magsasaka, a partylist group vying for seats in Congress in the forthcoming mid-term elections in 2013.