THERE is no need for another intervention from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), the chairman of the board of the Cagayan de Oro Water District said today, August 1.
Gerry Caño's statement came after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address on Monday, in which the president said the LWUA would intervene in more than 500 water districts nationwide that have supply issues.
“Tulad ng pagkain, nakasalalay ang buhay natin sa tubig,” the president said in his speech.
Marcos added, “Marami kaming natatanggap na reklamo na hindi man lang daw umaabot ang tubig sa kanilang mga gripo… lampas anim na milyong konsyumer sa buong bansa ang kasalukuyang naapektuhan.”
In response, the president said the Local Water Utilities Administration has begun implementing measures against “under-performing water districts and their private partners.”
Caño welcomed the statement, saying it is for the development of the country.
But he pointed out that the water district’s contract with Metro Pacific should be the priority instead of an intervention.
He added he was relieved the Commission on Audit was about to release its findings on the 2017 contract between the water district and Cagayan de Oro Bulkwater Incorporated.
“Naa gyud nay kasupakan sa kontrata,” Caño said.
He believes the water woes in Cagayan de Oro are due to the water supplier, whom he accused of being a middleman that cannot deliver water, as the supply is sourced from Rio Verde.
However, the COWD’s official Facebook page frequently posts alerts about “low to no water” in different parts of the city.
“Pwede man mo direkta ang COWD sa Rio Verde,” Caño said.
He said he and other board members believe the COA findings and an ongoing arbitration in Singapore are sufficient to find the best possible solution to the water district’s nearly P500 million debt and the city’s water supply problem.
“Nag intervene naman sila, wala ma’y nahitabo,” Caño said, referring to a previous intervention that he said yielded no results.
