FLI to spend for services of water psychic

SINCE employing a person with paranormal abilities might be difficult to justify before state auditors, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña decided to use his and a private donor’s money to pay a water diviner for her services.

Osmeña authorized yesterday the use of the City’s calamity funds, but only for the setting up of deep wells in all the sites identified by the water diviner in the mountain villages, if water is needed in the area due to the dry spell.

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He told reporters yesterday that he trusts 80-year-old Choleng Legaspi’s ability to identify water sources in the mountain barangays, saying that the sites she pinpointed were proven to have water.

At the risk of being mocked by professionals and experts in looking for underground water sources, he said that he will rely fully on Legaspi in addressing the water shortage problem in the upland areas.

Legaspi, he said, is blessed to have the gift of “seeing” where the water is without having to use any special device and without any professional training.

Osmeña said he trusts Legaspi more than he trusts the experts like the University of San Carlos Water Resource Center, whose staff were not able to find underground water sources despite their expertise.

“I cannot explain it but she’s blessed and I’m very happy that she’s helping us… She’s very accurate and I trust her 100 percent until she makes a mistake. Look, whatever they (critics) say, I don’t see it that way. This woman can pinpoint where the water is and when we drill, there is no water. She does that at no cost to the City, mureklamo pa mo?” Osmeña said.

In at least five mountain villages she visited, including Binaliw, where City Hall personnel have been trying to drill water in vain, the mayor said that she was able to pinpoint water sources, “and so far, there is no mistake.”

Osmeña said he learned of Legaspi’s gift through Filinvest Land Inc. president Andrew Gotianun Jr., who also agreed to shoulder the cost of her fees.

The mayor agreed to foot Legaspi’s and her companions’ hotel bills at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

He said City Hall will only be taking care of Legaspi’s transportation in visiting the barangays and her meals, since paying her for her services might be difficult to justify before the Commission on Audit (COA).

He said that whatever financial arrangements he and Legaspi agree on, City Hall will not have anything to do with it.

“If you ask me, she’s worth millions with that kind of luck, blessing, talent or whatever you want to call it. She’s worth a lot,” he said.

Now that the water sources have been identified, Osmena said the City will take advantage of the City Council’s declaration of a state of calamity preparedness in the mountain barangays, and will allocate funds for the setting up of deep wells in all the sites that Legaspi identified.

The expenses will be charged to the City’s calamity funds.

City Councilor Gerardo Carillo said, though, that the City will not be burdened with the construction cost since the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) is willing to shoulder the expenses in drilling and setting up the wells.

Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president Eugenio Faelnar, for his part, said the hiring of Legaspi will solve the perennial water problem of mountain barangay residents every summer.

He said he used to be a non-believer and skeptic of Legaspi’s ability before he saw her work. He said she identified an area near the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan where water could be found and there was indeed water.

The jail, he said, used to be saddled with the lack of water.

Faelnar said he was finally convinced when she identified where freshwater could be found at the South Road Properties (SRP).

Finding sources of water for the mountain barangays has always been a constant source of headache for Faelnar.

The problem, he had said, has been compounded by the lack of cooperation from barangay officials in identifying where water could be sourced from.

He said that setting up a deep well in the lowlands costs P200,000 each, installing one up in the mountains, he said, will cost the city more.

He is set to meet with contractors and City Councilor Jose Daluz for the costing of the deep wells for the mountain barangays.