‘City hall has no hold on Cowd’

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

The members of the city council have no direct jurisdiction over the operation of Cagayan de Oro Water District since it has been declared by the national government as a government-owned-controlled-corporation.

City councilor and Majority Floor Leader Ian Mark Nacaya reminded his colleagues in response to Councilor Eric Salcedo’s demand to be furnished with a copy of the Annual Audit Report made by the Commission on Audit and contract between water suppliers on COWD.

Nacaya reminded his colleagues that even City Mayor Oscar Moreno is not privy on the details of the transactions made by the board of directors of COWD.

“The media and people should know that since the time of Mayor Rueben Canoy, even the mayor and the members of the city council are not privy on every details of the proceedings of the board of the water district. It evolved into a water district when during Marcos regime all water district will became GOCCs,” he said.

He said when COWD was declared as a GOCC the city government and the city council has only one authority over it which is the appointment of the members of its board. The local government unit cannot even recall its owned appointment, Nacaya added.

“In other words, we have a limitation with regards (to) the operation of water district. In this case, the management, the board, and its employees especially their activity and its exercise of power is exclusive. In other words, even the mayor will witness the signing on every contract, the city mayor is only a witness and even not privy on the exercise on the authority given by the board,” he said.

Nacaya claimed that local government has no power over the water district.

“Unsaon namo paglabot-labot nga wala man diay kami’y jurisdiction over GOCCs. We don’t have the power of mandating or ordering GOCCs. That is national and has its own government corporate counsel and office. Centralized ang ilang mga abogado for all GOCCs, the description of the board and management has its own power and function,” he pointed out.

However, he cannot blame other members of the city council to intervene in the issue considering that it is the concern of the public like the City Council’s Committee on Public Utilities chaired by City Councilor Teodulfo Lao, Jr.

“Klarohon nato nga ang management, operation and the board decision making ila kining tanan. Ganahan man o dili ang mayor sa iyang gi-appoint, wala na gayud siya’y mahimo,” Nacaya ssaid.