The engineers in the water ‘therapy’

ILIGAN City ― “Water, water, put out the fire. Fire will not burn the stick. The stick will not beat the pig. The pig will not jump[ over the fence and I cannot get home tonight.”

This is some nursery rhyme I recall back in those days. Life was simpler then. Yet water already played some starring role in our lives during those nursery days as with today. Didn’t they say that water is life?

And in getting that wet thing into our homes, we need these engineers. Bless them…

There was Engr. Milagros Christene Orbe who headed the Iligan City Waterworks System then…She received much flak during that time, for water did not come freely into many homes here though it wasn’t entirely her fault. She is only a civil engineer, her detractors said… We need a mechanical engineer.

Orbe then retired as head of ICWS as it was time for her to retire. And she was replaced by another engineer, Josephus “Epoc” Albao.

And, then city mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz decided to do some “therapy” on this water situation. Get a loan from a bank. To the tune of P295 million. For, though Cruz is not an engineer, he was thinking like an engineer.

With the loan then, many houses had water connected to their homes from sources coming from barangay Suarez and from Ditucalan. After all, this city calls itself the “city of waterfalls” The water distribution must not be an affair of “true or false.”

But still, there were many clamors that water coming into the homes were not properly addressed. People were simply impatient. And the blamers still blamed Orbe. And Cruz, of course.

And then it was time for the Cruz admin to exit; he had exhausted his nine-year reign and it was against the law to extend his term. Even if the water project was not finished yet. One has to learn how to deal with the government.

So, came now another administration headed by Celso G. Regencia. But he had a lot of baggage to deal with. The baggage, resulted among them, imprisonment and suspensions when he came out of prison in connection with the shooting of the convoy of then-Congressman Vicente “Varf” Belmonte. So, how could he think clearly like an engineer as regards the water problem? He was a victim, “unjustly persecuted.” His die-hard supporters than just kept on blaming “the previous| administration” and Orbe, the engineer heading ICWS “This water project is a failed project of the previous admin,” were their battle cry.

After Orbe, came another engineer to head the ICWS. Josephus “Epoc” Albao. Maybe this time water services will improve. But no, Albao had as much headache as Orbe had. And his date with retirement came. Will there be another engineer to head the ICWS?

This is now the time of Mayor Frederick Siao. Though not an engineer, he was going to think like an engineer regarding the area of giving good water services. Maybe, he won’t do the blame game this time, like the CGR did when things went wrong in the water distribution area.

To be fair, with efforts as to the water area Cruz had succeeded under his watch about 70 percent of the residents here enjoy water. But still much has to be done…Initially, Siao didn’t do much blaming the previous admin of CGR. Even if it has now experienced so many complaints about the water situation. He then hired some outsiders, some good engineers among them, one Jun Sonido. fresh from his services somewhere in Bohol. Siao also did a PBBM, that is, heading the ICWS himself! Even if he was no engineer. There could be some much much better way to address the situation which leaves much to be desired.

These days, much of the work as regards the water situation falls on Engr. Jaime Sato, head of the Maintenance Division of the ICWS; Like the engineers before him, Orbe, and Albao, he too is receiving much of the flak, along with Siao of course, and the other officials of the city. Even if Siao and the other officials are saying that much is now being done to address the situation. Like the coming over of private companies to help address the situation, such as the J E Hydro and Bio-Energy Company. The latter says they won’t touch the ICWS as to the aspect of ownership[. They will just do their thing in helping the city cope with the situation. They just want the city, to let them enter so that they can be of assistance. Like the present Sangguniang Panlungsod coming up with a resolution for them; a resolution of “no objection.”

When I talked with Mike, my nerdy friend about the matter, his analysis was that there is another kind of engineer who might not be good for the present administration. Because the move of Siao et al is a move towards “privatization.” No matter how much they say:”this is not privatization.” So, they’re doing something, like complaining to appropriate bodies.

“And what kind of engineers are they?” I asked, curious.

“They’re political engineers,” he replied, displaying a somewhat lopsided smile.

Though it was some joke, I couldn’t help but agree with him/

Email: nora.lady@yahoo.com or contact 09277983167 |09073384874