IT STARTED with one comment posted at the Lumad Tagoloanon Facebook page: “There is no water in her place again at that specific time.”
Since I am a native Tagoloanon, I was the first to react “again” as I knew about the problem referred to in that post. My daughter would always cut our chat in order to stock up on gallons and basins of water due to a scheduled power interruption.
And I knew about this problem because I lived there in Tagoloan town, Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao, Philippines and the problem had been in existence in that part of the world probably since time immemorial.
At least in my younger days, we have the Tagoloan river where we can fetch water or make a hole for clean water for our “banga.” But it's now the 21st century and holy cow, por dios por santo and the residents there still face the same problem. It is even worse now because Tagoloan town had grown in number and more residents are fighting over water there.
Water is supposed to be abundant there due to the river but it's expensive. These days I would see posts at the Lumad Tagoloanon page where residents complained that it's been over a day and there's no water in their water or in any areas serviced by Mactan Rock.
The common reason given is that since there was no power there is no water. But that's something Mactan Rock should have dealt with. It should also coordinate with the Cagayan de Oro Electric Power Co. (Cepalco) in warning its customers to anticipate water service interruptions.
Back to that post I read. Under it there were posts containing information about the problem. Boy Casino, Nelson Sabio and Ret. General Greg Paduganan, who by the way created the page years ago, gave their respective reactions.
In Tagoloan town, there's Mactan Rock whose owners were all based in Cebu and it started in 2008 when I was still there. The local waterworks district is operated by the local government because the employees are appointed by the mayor. Correct me if I am wrong but under the law, any water utility is supervised by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).
Both Mactan Rock and the local waterworks have their own clientele but both had been inutile in servicing their customers. Water service is basic and I don't understand why the Tagoloan Municipal Government failed to provide this basic service consistently to their constituents.
Is the present administration in Tagoloan municipal hall even listening to their constituents and their call for help? Is there a customer service office at the town hall where the public can address their woes to the officials? Or do these officials even care to ask what the problem is? The water supply problem is a major problem.
I know there are members in the Lumad Tagoloanon Facebook page that work with the mayor. Can they not tell the mayor what the problem is? Is there any truth to rumors that the municipal government doesn't want to intervene because the water utilities are under the LWUA? If that's the case then these local officials are inutile and cowardly in the performance of their duties. They can always intervene and appeal on the behalf of their constituents to remind the LWUA and Mactan Rock to do their jobs well.
Sorry but I don't buy into their excuses. I don't buy the alibi of the Tagoloan Municipal Government that they are helpless in going after these utilities since waterworks are under LWUA.
In the same thread at Lumad Tagoloanon, which by the way is doing a great service to Tagoloan residents for being their own customer service, I learned from Boy Casino that there are two huge water reservoirs not used by Ferrochrome and Vicmar.
Their source is the Tagoloan river which is owned by the state. Boy said then Tagoloan mayor Yevgeny “Bambi” Emano who is now Misamis Oriental governor asked Phividec to use these reservoirs. If the Tagoloan municipal government requested Phividec to use the reservoirs, then the town's water supply problems would be solved.
Manok can seek counsel from his cousin at the Capitol on what to do with that problem. He can write letters to all agencies to ask for help. If I were a municipal councilor in Tagoloan I would write a strongly worded letter to President Rodrigo Duterte to order the LWUA to work with the local utilities in solving Tagoloan's water supply problem.
To the clients of Mactan Rock, the local officials can represent the public to remind Mactan Rock to improve their service to them. It may be privately owned but they perform a basic service that serves public interest.
What did I hear is that the owner of Mactan Rock is a big public official considered to be untouchable? If the Tagoloan municipal council had any sense and if I were serving there, I would invite other companies to operate in Tagoloan. I also heard that even developer Filinvest is trying to help but there is local resistance to the entry. If this is true there is no telling when this 20-year-old water supply problem in Cebu will be resolved.
Trust me this water problem would become a good campaign promise come the next elections.