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Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Group, Itogon folks continue to oppose water project
By Rimaliza Opiña
THE Baguio Consumers Movement (BCM) is demanding the board of directors (BOD) of the Baguio Water District (BWD) not to issue the notice of award of the Bulk Water Supply Project (BWSP) to Benguet Corporation (BC) unless the issues they raised are resolved.
Residents of Itogon and members of the BCM rallied at the BWD compound on Friday during the BOD general meeting, at that time believing that the board then was about to issue the notice of award.
Lawyer Antonio Espiritu, chairman of the board of directors, already denied BCM's suspicion but said they do not see any compelling reason not to issue the notice, stressing that BC, the remaining and only qualified bidder, went through the processes when it tendered its intent to bid for the project.
But Chie Galvez, spokesperson of the BCM reiterated that even the notice of award could not be issued unless BC addresses issues on water potability. She added the clamor of residents of Itogon also has to be considered.
Residents of Itogon are opposed to the project, claiming the sourcing of water from this municipality might deplete their water supply.
Mayor Braulio Yaranon also opposed the BWSP, saying the deep wells dug by the BWD could compensate the water consumption of the city's 350,000 residents.
But in an earlier Sun.Star report, Espiritu said government-owned and controlled corporations such as the BWD should be free from political clutches.
"BC is the only one qualified, we don't see any reason why we can't give the notice of award. There is no ground to cancel because the process was followed," he stressed.
He was reacting to a letter from Yaranon appealing to the BWD to uphold the rejection of the project as decided by the Board on May 14.
Yaranon, in his letter to BWD general manager Teresita de Guzman and the BOD, said the project should be cancelled, adding that the award of the same means "abandonment of the interest of the 350,000 BWD consumers and the water entity itself."
But Espiritu said the issuance of a notice of award is not the contract itself, stressing that this is just one of the processes BC has to undertake before proceeding with the project.
(August 9, 2005 issue)
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