ANGELES City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. has ordered the closure of a private water firm located in Barangay Cuayan for operating sans business permits, environmental compliance certificate (ECC) and other requirements.
The mayor said he personally conducted the inspection and discovered that the Gatbonton water facility operates illegally.
Lazatin said the water firm applied for drilling operation permit during the past administration but to no avail.
“Mumuna ya pa ing kalesa keng kabayu. Mag-operate ne pero ala ya pang permit (The rig came before the horse. They are operating with no permit yet), he said.”
The water firm serves more than 1,000 households in Barangay Cuayan which is inside the service area of the Angeles City Water District (ACWD).
Engineer Reynaldo Liwanag, ACWD general manager, said the water district buys bulk water from Gatbonton and distributes them to the Cuayan residents.
The ACWD procures water from the private firm to meet the demand of consumers in the area especially during peak hours and seasons, according to Liwanag.
He added that he was informed by executives of the water facility that they are willing to secure all necessary permits relative to their operation.
With the closure of the water company, Liwanag said service in said village, including water pressure will be affected.
“Atin na ke man pumping station keng Cuayan oneng magkulang ing supply lalu na patye peak hours (We have a pumping station in Cuayan but supply is not enough during peak hours),” Liwanag said.
Lazatin urged the ACWD officials to resign from their post for incompetence. He said the water district earns P1 million per month but its officials do not even have a development plan for Barangay Cuayan.
“Why do they have to buy water from a private firm when they too have the capacity to construct their own pumping stations? I don’t know what is in there. Is there?” the mayor queried.
Liwanag denied the mayor’s accusations saying that the procurement of water from private firms is legal. With this scheme, he added that the ACWD “earns and distributes” without any investments.
“That is the right of the mayor but we in the ACWD are doing our best to serve the community and we are adhering to our mandate which is to provide potable and sufficient water supply to the people of Angeles City,” Liwanag said.