By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
THE manager of the Medina Rural Water Services Cooperative (Merwasco) yesterday denied that the tap water supply in the eastern Misamis Oriental town was deliberately contaminated.
Engr. Isagani Bercelona, Merwasco manager, told the provincial board’s health committee that the allegation in a letter sent to the province’s legislature is a lie.
The panel started an investigation into the diarrhea outbreak in Medina after Vice Gov. Jose Mari Pelaez received a letter from an “anonymous” sender, a move questioned by town mayor Donato Chan.
It was alleged in the letter that the water supply contamination was an act of sabotage apparently to boost the sales of water refilling stations there.
“Dili man kana tino-od. Dako kana nga bakak. Wwala namo sabutahi-a ang water source sa among lungsod,” said Bercelona.
The Department of Health sent two experts from Manila to check the diarrhea outbreak that has so far affected 452 people in Medina. A septuagenarian identified as Alfonso Magallanes of Purok 5, South Poblacion in Medina died due to diarrhea.
Dr. David Mendoza, chief of the DOH regional office’s Epidemiology Surveillance Center, said the health department has yet to release the results of its examination of water samples from Medina.
But he assured the health committee that the DOH was conducting an in-depth investigation to determine the source of the contamination.
Dr. Ma. Alma Enriquez, the town’s health officer, said the situation is now under control.
Enriquez said a dozen water samples examined by the Medina-based Axelum Resources Corp. showed that the town’s water supply was coliform-contaminated.
Mayor Chan said the diarrhea outbreak started in June 28 and its effects were still felt on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Chan frowned over the health committee investigation into the diarrhea outbreak that Misamis Oriental’s legislators started because of a letter sent by an anonymous source.
“Wala ko masayod kon para asa kini nga investigation kay sa ilang sulat sa committee nga gipadala kanako, usa man lang ka simple nga letter of invitation. Wala man gani ibutang nga ‘in aid of legislation’ ba kaha kini nga investigation,” Chan said.
He also made a big deal about semantics. The mayor disliked the use of the word “summon,” saying that it sounded to him like town officials did not do anything about the problem.
“Lain kaayo paminawon nga gi-summoned ako sa committee kay morag wala kami gibuhat sa maong incident,” he said.
“Summon” simply means to call someone in an official matter or ask to come or officially invite.
The committee’s chairperson, provincial board member Mercy Grace Acain, said Chan was invited so that he could provide the panel the needed information about the diarrhea outbreak.
Acain said the provincial board has to act based on the letter from anonymous sender. “Dili man pud mahimo nga dili kami mohimog action sa committee kay ang among tuyo niini aron ma-enlightened kami sa committee, aron makahimo kami unsay among matabang niini nga indicent nga dili na mausab,” she said.
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