THE Bacolod City Council approved a resolution asking the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on why the Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) failed to provide clean and potable water in the city.
The resolution, authored by Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr., was approved during the regular session on Wednesday, June 26.
Gamboa said considering the importance of water in the lives and survival of humans, it is of primordial importance that Congress should look into why Baciwa failed to provide adequate clean and potable water, which cracked Baciwa to the vulnerability of a takeover by private economic predators like the Prime Water.
He said a P537,614,000 loan was then facilitated in the year 2007 through the Local Water Utilities Administration to achieve its estimated projections of more than 80 percent water supply coverage in a period of 10 years and that the payment of the loan shall extend up to 2033.
“However that until now, despite said loan, Baciwa’s water coverage in its franchise area remains to be below 60 percent, of which, some water supply areas with facilities of Baciwa have minimal water supply at limited time, thick turbid water flow or no water at all,” he added.
Gamboa noted that in previous months, they also passed several resolutions requesting Baciwa to submit its financial statements, audits by the Commission on Audit, comparative studies, history and track records of its private partners but the responses of Baciwa were all excuses.
Gamboa said Baciwa’s inability to divulge information as requested by the City Council is a violation of the latter’s right to information enshrined in the 1987 Constitution stipulating among others the imperative for Baciwa to be more transparent, accountable, recognized the power of information and that the valued participation of the citizens in public affairs are Constitutionally justified.