Cagayan de Oro Water District general manager Rachel Beja speaks to reporters. According to outgoing COWD director Joel Baldelovar, only Beja signed the contract between COWD and Metro Pacific Water Invesments Corp. in August with authority from the water district’s board. (GSD File photo by nitz arancon)
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By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

LOCAL officials were merely guests during the ceremonial signing of the controversial agreement between the Cagayan de Oro Water District and Manny V. Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp. at the Makati Shangri-la in August.

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Outgoing COWD vice chairman Joel Baldelovar said this over Magnum Radio yesterday even as he revealed that no city hall official was present during the actual signing of the agreement between the water district and Metro Pacific a day earlier.

The actual signing took place in Aug. 14 while the ceremonial signing at Makati Shangri-la was held in Aug. 15.

Baldelovar said COWD general manager Rachel Beja signed the Aug. 14 agreement on behalf the water district.

Beja was authorized by the five-person board chaired by Eduardo Montalvan.

The COWD board, he said, merely serves as the water district’s policymaker.

“Wala mag-pirma ang mga local officials,” said Baldelovar, adding that they were merely part of audience or guests during the ceremonial signing.

He added: “Wala sila sa actual signing. Na-una ang actual signing then pagka-ugma ang ceremonial signing.”

Baldelovar said he and other COWD directors who represented different sectors were present during the contract signing.

He recalled: “During the signing, it (agreement) was presented [through] a widescreen, page by page, so that all representatives can see all the documents.”

Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, one of the local officials who graced the ceremonial signing of the agreement, told the city council on Monday that he, Vice Mayor Joaquin Raineir Uy and Councilor Jay Pascual were merely “pulled” into Shangri-la Makati during the ceremonial signing of the COWD-Metro Pacific joint venture agreement.

Nacaya said they were in Metro Manila at that time because they were participants in a week-long seminar.

On their arrival, Nacaya recalled, the driver of the vehicle that came to fetch them received a call, and they were then brought to Makati Shangri-la.

Nacaya said, “We were not informed (beforehand) that there was a signing between Metropac and COWD. But be that as it may, I am happy that we were there… as city government officials, we should be invited….”

Nacaya said it was only several weeks later that he and other local officials realized that the COWD-Metro Pacific agreement could be disadvantageous to the city.

He said an increase in the price of treated water is likely “because the water district board of directors signed an agreement with Metropac, authorizing an increase of P16.”

COWD assistant general manager Bienvenido Batar Jr. earlier said an increase in the price of treated water would be absorbed by the water district and would not be passed on to consumers.

Batar explained that COWD is producing 70 percent of its requirements and that only 30 percent is being outsourced. Therefore, he said, revenues from the 70 percent are enough to shoulder the increased cost of the remaining 30 percent.

But Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr. maintained that the agreement, which would bind COWD and Metro Pacific for 30 years beginning next year, would prove to be disadvantageous to water consumers here.

Lao said the agreement appeared to be a move towards the privatization of COWD.

The agreement, he said, is for Metro Pacific to be in control of 95 percent while COWD would only retain five percent.

Lao said the joint venture would create a board composed of five representatives from Metro Pacific and two others from COWD.

He said the agreement would take effect January 2018 and would last for 30 years.

Lao said a provision in the COWD-Metro Pacific agreement provides that an increase in the price of treated water could be sought depending on the economic situation.

“Pananglitan kon mosaka ang presyo sa dollar, mahimo sab ang Metropac mopa-increase sa water rate nga labaw sa P16 per cubic meter,” he said.

Lao said Metro Pacific is looking into three options: 1) buy Rio Verde Water Consortium Inc., 2) lease its facilities, or build its own facilities.

“Sa pagka karon kay wala pa may planta ang Metropac,  dako gyud ang posibilidad nga didto sila magpalit ug tubig sa Rio Verde,” he said.

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