By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent .
THE Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) may soon find itself charging water consumers more if the city council approves a proposal that seeks to raise public funds for the preservation of the city’s watershed areas.
Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, the city council’s majority floor leader, said the COWD would become city hall’s collection agent based on the proposed Ecological Services and Protection Fee Ordinance.
If approved, water consumers here would be made to pay an additional 25 centavos per cubic meter a month. The additional charge would be 50 centavos per cubic meter a month for industrial and commercial establishments.
“Sigon sa pagtuon sa Cagayan de Oro Water District, ang kada tawo nga mogamit ug tubig mohorot siyag upat ngadto sa lima ka cubic meter per month. So, kon 25 centavos per cubic meter ang bayad sa Ecosystem Ordinance, P1 o P1.25 centavos ang iyang madugang nga bayad kada bulan sa iyang water bill,” Nacaya said.
The revenues would be used for the rehabilitation, protection, reforestation and maintenance works on all watershed areas of the city.
“Aron atong masiguro nga sa sunod pang henerasyon na-a pa gihapoy supisyenteng supply sa tubig sa Cagayan de Oro gikan sa atong mga watershed areas. Kay kon atong pasagdan karon ang atong mga watershed basin wala nay tubig sa Cagayan de Oro sa sunod nga katuigan,” said Nacaya.
He said the idea for the proposed ordinance was first brought up by the group of Archbishop Antonio Ledesma and the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Council. The groups are advocates for the sustainability of the city’s water supply through the preservation of the watershed areas.
“Kay nakita man nato nga we need to support this idea para ma-sustain nato ang atong water system,” he said.
Nacaya, chairman of the city council’s committee on planning and development and the proposed ordinance’s proponent, said he already called for a meeting on the proposed ordinance together with the city council’s committees on environment, ways and means, and finance last week.
It was unanimously agreed to call for a public hearing on the proposed Ecological Services and Protection Fee Ordinance this Nov. 13. It would be held at 2 pm at the city council.
A city council dispatch stated that the public hearing is aimed at determining if the city’s water consumers would support or oppose the proposal.
It said the public hearing is in line with Section 16 of Republic Act 7160 which provides that local government units must ensure and support the preservation and enrichment of culture, promote health and safety, and enhance the right of people to a balanced ecology, among others.
It added that the proposed legislation cites that the city has one major river basin with six watershed areas in Iponan, Alae, Agusan, Gusa, Cugman and Bigaan.
It was noted that many areas in the river basin and watersheds in the city have already been degraded such that the high volume of rain will become surface run-off that will result to catastrophic flooding, especially in downstream areas.
Section 4 of the proposed law imposes an ecological services fee on all water users, which shall form part of the Ecological Services and Protection Fund. This fund shall be utilized for the conservation, protection and restoration of the Cagayan de Oro River Basin and watershed.
The city council dispatch showed that collected fees would be used for livelihood programs that would aid in the conservation, protection and restoration of all watersheds in the city and the Cagayan de Oro River Basin; development of parks and open spaces within the city and its river basin and information and advocacy campaign, among others.
Although minimal, Nacaya pointed out that the water consumers of the city would be the ones to shoulder the additional costs.
In the proposed ordinance, the COWD would be tasked as the collection agent, and the additional charges would be reflected in the water bills.
In areas that are not being served by COWD like certain subdivisions, the developers or groups running private water systems would be asked to collect from the households they serve.
The proposed ordinance also seeks the creation of a special council that would be headed by the mayor. A member of the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Council would be the vice chairperson.
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