CEBU City Mayor Edgar Labella has the responsibility of solving the water crisis. Under the Provincial Water Utilities Act (Presidential Decree #198), he has the power to appoint the directors of Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) and therefore the duty to oversee its operations so that it will fulfill its mandate.
When he took over City Hall last June 30 though, Labella also "inherited" officials and employees allied with former mayor Tomas Osmeña, whom he defeated in last May's elections. They include at MCWD the four directors appointed by Osmeña and one director by Mike Rama, former mayor and now vice mayor.
Labella will have to tackle the water problem with five directors, including its chairman, expected to be not too cooperative if not hostile. (While one of the five is identified with Mike Rama, a party mate in Barug, the director's allegiance is to the vice mayor who appointed him, not necessarily to Labella.)
The mayor cannot fire any one of them before their six-year term expires, except "for cause" after the obligatory due process. Would failure to solve the water shortage constitute as "neglect of duty," one of the causes of dismissing or removing a civil-service-protected official?
Opponent's allies
The four directors who are allies of Mayor Labella's political opponent Tomas Osmeña are:
[1] Joel Mari Yu, chairman of the board, education sector, his term from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2022;
[2] Atty. Ralph Sevilla, vice chairman, civic sector: January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2022;
[3] Atty. Cecilia J. Adlawan, secretary, professional sector: January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025;
[4] Atty. Procopio Fernandez, director, women's sector; January 13, 2016 to December 31, 2020;
[5] Augustus Pe Jr., director, business sector, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025.
Coping represents women
What will strike the reader, in the order of what's interesting:
[1] Coping Fernandez represents the women's sector.
Can a man represent women? The law doesn't specify gender. Why not, unless the women sector in the city will mind? The director whom Coping replaced was a woman, Atty. Jocelyn "Joy" Pesquera.
[2] The chairman, Joel Yu, represents the education sector. His ties to education may be the least known to the public about him. He has been presented mostly as an investment counselor.
[3] The earliest to consume his term is Coping Fernandez but it won't be until December 31 next year. Yu and Sevilla will end their term only in 2022, on December 31 yet. Mayor Labella will finish his term months ahead of the two directors, on June 30, 2022.
[4] Two directors, Atty. Adlawan and Jun Pe, are there for barely nine months and their term will expire in 2025 yet, when Labella will no longer be mayor unless he spikes the one-term prediction by his rivals.
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