Saturday, November 10, 2007 Protest meet DCWD's 34th anniversary By Grace L. Plata
DAVAO City Water District's 34th anniversary Friday was greeted by protests from members of a consumer group opposing the water utility's proposed 100-million loan while urging the City Council to resume hearings on the matter.
About a hundred protesters from various organizations led by Consumer Alert marched from the Davao Medical Center junction to the DCWD office in Bajada at 9 a.m. Friday.
"The year is almost over, yet the unjustified proposed loan of the DCWD is still pushing through and worries us, consumers," said Leon Bolcan, spokesperson of the Consumer Alert said in a printed statement.
Consumer Alert has been campaigning against the proposed loan to fund the Comprehensive Mainline Replacement Program (CMRP) of the water district since June this year.
The group believes that the unjustified loan will only be the first step to the privatization of the water resource and service.
"The proposed P126-million loan shall be but an initial course in a series of loans being planned by the DCWD. In its 2007 plans, programs, and budget, the Board of Directors has approved a motion for the inclusion of the P698,047,143 worth of implementation of the general mainline improvement project," Bolcan said.
"Should the district fail to pay the loan, the Local Water Utilities Administration or LWUA, from where they plan to avail of the loan, could take over the management of the water district and give it to individuals or corporations. This could result in unabated water increase like what happened to the Calamba City Water District in Laguna," he added.
Bolcan also said the LWUA has been indebted to foreign banks such as the Asian Development Bank and the DCWD's loan could be an opportunity for them to take over the water management, the water resource, or both and this will be disadvantageous for consumers.
"We are, therefore, enjoining our fellow Dabawenyos to oppose this unjustifiable loan," Bolcan said.
The group is also calling on to the City Council to resume the hearing on the proposed loan.
The second committee hearing did not push through after the DCWD Board and Management informed the chairpersons of the council committee on government enterprises and privatization and the committee on social services, through a letter, that they would not attend the hearing.
The management said that doing so will be unnecessary since they will be calling for joint executive-legislative forum so they could inform government officials of their plans.
