An adventure in applied science - IRRI books - International Rice ...

14 History of the International Rice Research InstituteAnother 1960 appointee to the professional staff was Loyd Johnson, whojoined IRRI 15 September as agricultural engineer. He and his family immediatelytook up residence at Los Baños in a house rented from the College ofAgriculture. His assignment in 1960-61 was to establish the 80 ha of IRRIexperimental fields, which entailed drilling deep water wells and building anunderground irrigation system; land leveling and the construction of bundsaround individual paddies; building roads, including several bridges; andinstalling an electrical system to supply power to the irrigation pumps. Inaddition, an open-ditch drainage system was constructed.Johnson also supervised the establishment of a buildings and groundsdepartment, including the selection of its superintendent and the ordering ofthe equipment and tools that would be needed. He played a major role also inselecting the equipment for the experimental farm.Over the years, the Institute has continued to benefit from the excellence ofJohnson’s design and construction of the experimental fields.As IRRI became involved in the hiring of architects and contractors, itsfinancial burdens increased. The Rockefeller Foundation accordingly madeavailable the services of its assistant treasurer, Robert Letort, as IRRI’s chieffinancial officer. Although his duties at the Institute would be largely those ofa comptroller, Letort was given the title of assistant treasurer as being more inkeeping with his previous position in New York.Letort and his family were not able to move to the Philippines until 24October. In the meantime, the financial affairs of the Institute were administeredby Drilon with the help of Ocampo and of Victor Arañez, who hadstarted work on 16 July as Drilon’s secretary.By December, Letort had determined that he needed the assistance of aPhilippine Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Letort was near retirement ageand felt that when he left IRRI, a CPA would be able to handle the financialaspects of its operations. 6 Washington Sycip, of the well-known accountingfirm of Sycip, Gorres and Velayo, was consulted. He recommended FaustinoSalacup, who began work on 2 January 1961, with the title of assistanttreasurer. Later, Salacup became treasurer, then comptroller, and in 1981 wasnamed comptroller and secretary/treasurer of IRRI.Among IRRI’s professional staff, Salacup has had the longest term ofservice. Throughout, he has continued to handle the increasingly involvedbudgeting systems stipulated for the various international research centersafter the formation of the Consultative Group on International AgriculturalResearch (CGIAR). 7In the early days of IRRI, however, Letort and Salacup worked out a systemof accounting and bookkeeping for the Institute that was copied by several ofthe research organizations established in the mid-l960s, especially CIMMYTand CIAT.6 Letort became seriously ill and had to leave IRRI after less than 2 years. He returned to Francewhere he died in 1965.7Chapter 6 details the formation of CGIAR.