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Friday, October 01, 2004
Mayor questions COWD's choice of bidder
By Stephen Capillas
MAYOR Vicente Emano questioned the Cagayan de Oro Water District's (COWD) board of directors' choice of one firm owned by foreign interests for its water services project.
Emano questioned why the COWD board would favor Visland Water Corp. over four other firms even as he alleged that the firm is a "dummy" of Malaysian business interests.
As this developed the council invited COWD General Manager Engr. Gonzales and Engr. Rey Tablan, chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee of the COWD to answer questions on the status of the COWD projects.
These include a supposed agreement with Visland Water Corp. for a diligence study on the water supply and distribution service within the franchise area of the COWD and a reported unsolicited Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) proposal of Vivendi Water Phils. Inc.
Moreover, Emano said he wants the resignations of the board of directors for endorsing the project bid of one Visland Water Corp. for the COWD.
Emano explained that he learned of reports that the COWD board of directors together with COWD General Manager Engr. Gaspar Gonzales supported Visland Water Corp.'s bid over four other firms one of which is a local company.
Emano said he talked with a representative of one such firm known only as a certain Mr. Alvarez who appealed to him only for fairness in the bidding.
"He told me that 'I'm not asking for any special favors but I am only seeking for fair play in the bidding'," the mayor said.
Emano said contrary to the suspicions of the other COWD board members, he didn't appoint Bas, dxCL Angel Radyo station manager, to serve as his "eyes and ears" in the COWD.
Among the members of the COWD board is another broadcast station manager. He added that it was his prerogative as the mayor to ask for the resignation of these officials whom he derided for receiving top salaries and huge allowances.
It had yet to be clarified whether the proposal referred to the so-called "bulk water supply" project disclosed by Councilor Edgar Cabanlas in last Monday's session.
He said the bulk water project is supposed to ensure a 50-year supply of water for the city's consumers but that a year had passed and nothing had come out of it.
(September 27, 2004 issue)
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