Councilor threatens to sue NWRB if it okays petition for Taguibo water rights

By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent

BUTUAN City–A councilor yesterday threatened to bring the National Water Rights Board (NWRB) to court if it approves the Butuan City Water District’s petition for water rights over the Taguibo River.

The water district has filed a petition for a deed of usufruct as it sought an amendment to Water Permit no. 015656, according to Councilor Sergio Pascual.

He said no genuine consultation with water consumers was conducted even as he pointed out there were other groups that have a right over the Taguibo River such as the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), farmers and trrigators in four affected barangays where Taguibo river transverses.

Pascual said there were other issues that BCWD needed to address such as reforestation. He pointed out that the Taguibo Aquatech Solutions Corp. (Tasc) cut some 240 fully grown trees within the Taguibo watershed as it prepared the site for the controversial P565-million Butuan Bulk Water Supply Project.

He said BCWD and Tasc, a firm owned by Butuan Mayor-elect Ronnie Vicente Lagnada, have filed the petition  with the water board to cover the point of diversion of the water supply sourced from river in Barangay Taguibo.

Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. and former congressman Roan Libarios, who lost in this month’s elections, have called on Lagnada to divest his business interests in construction projects in the city which was awarded to his firm by the government, including the bulk water supply project.

“It will be awkward if he (Lagnada), as incoming Butuan mayor, will sign a permit to operate to start of the P565-million project. Lagnada is the CEO and president of Taguibo Aquatech Solutions Corp. that has an agreement with BCWD for the water project which we find to be onerous, fraudulent and anomalous,” Libarios said.