COWD still open to other offers: Beja

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE Cagayan de Oro Water District’s controversial joint venture agreement with Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp. has no exclusivity clause. It means that the water district may still opt to buy bulk water from other suppliers, COWD general manager Rachel Beja said on Wednesday.

Beja said this after councilors urged the COWD to seriously consider the offer of the Cagayan  de Oro Water  Technology Development Corp. to supply treated water to the public utility firm at a cost that’s half the selling price of Metro Pacific.

Beja told the city council’s committee on public utilities that any company that is interested on becoming a bulk water supplier may submit its proposal to the COWD.

But she said that such proposal would need the green light of the COWD board.

“So if there is any document… wala man gyuy problema ana. Ginaeceive gyud na tanan sa water district, gina estudyohan, and ginaeplayan gyud na,” Beja told the committee.

But Beja pointed out that the approval of any proposal can only come from the COWD board, and not her office.

Councilor Reuben Daba said he hoped the COWD would accept the offer of Cagayan  de Oro Water Technology by January 2018 given that the firm has proposed to supply to COWD at P8 per cubic meter.

Metro Pacific’s selling price is over P16 per cubic meter. The present supplier, Rio Verde Water Consortium Inc., also wants to increase the price to over P16 per cubic meter.

By accepting the offer, “atong mapakita sa ila (Metro Pacific and Rio Verde) nga dili lang sila ang maka-supply, daghan pa gyud ang gusto mo-supply,” Daba said.

He said it was time for the city to allow competition in the industry.

Cagayan de Oro Water Technology Development Corp. however has yet to submit its proposal to the COWD.

But Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr.,  chairman of the city council’s committee on public utilities, said he doubted if the COWD board would accept the offer. He did not elaborate.

“Ang bikil lang adto,  kay kon mag-submit silag proposal, I doubt kung  ang board of directors sa COWD… Ang problema kong dawaton ba nila nga naka-joint venture na man sila sa Metro Pacific… Ang COWD management willing kay nakita nila nga barato,” Lao said.