Iligan council cancels special session on JE Hydro

By Nora C. Soriño
Iligan City Bureau Chief
and Dennis C. Soriño
Correspondent

ILIGAN City ― The special session scheduled yesterday will not push through. Councilor Samuel ‘Tatay’ Huertas, the chair of the committee on the water of the Sangguniang Panlunsod here, told reporters the other day. That is because the majority of the SP members here will be attending the Philippine Councilors League to be held in Boracay.

The session would have dealt with whether the JE Hydro and Bio-Energy Corp. would be given or not a resolution of no objection to operating in this city.

To recall in its regular session on Tuesday last week, the said company presented its proposal to serve the water needs of the city especially those currently not served by the Iligan City Water System.

It was then learned that the said company has served the water needs of 16 local government units in the Visayas and Mindanao including two areas in Cagayan de Oro City which are still works in progress.

Its rate though is P50 per cubic meter as compared to the ICWS rate which is only ranging from P2.50 to P3 per cubic meter.

The SP committee on water though had met at the SP session hall to discuss requesting the company to lower it a little.

It was also learned that even as the company was presenting its proposal to the Sanggunian. The rallyists were also there putting up placards like “No to privatization” and “No to PPP.”