THE chairman of Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) board of directors on Monday, April 9, dismissed reports of possible lawsuits against top officials of the water utility.
"Alam mo yang mga kaso na yan, wala kaming ma-comment dyan (You know what, those cases, we don't have anything to say). We will face the cases as they come. They are most welcome to file the cases, kung anong gusto nilang i-file (whatever case they want to file)," Ed Montalvan, the chairman of the COWD board of directors, said.
"Pero para sa amin lahat naman ng mga cases na yan nasagot na namin yan. Pero sige lang (But for us, we already answered all those cases. Anyway, let them be)," Montalvan added.
A group of seven "concerned individuals", headed by former Cagayan de Oro City councilor Celestino Ocio and Ben Contreras, a local newspaper columnist, are contemplating filing another case against COWD officials.
The group is asking officials of the water district to supposedly bare details regarding the contract signing of the water facility with Metro Pacific Water Investments and the dismissal of former general manager Rachel Beja.
The group also wants COWD officials to supposedly be more transparent regarding the water utility’s operations.
Beja likewise bared her intention to bring her case against COWD's board of directors to the Office of the Ombudsman.
"We are transparent, we are always be transparent, wala kaming tinatago. Ewan ko kung anong ibig nilang sabihin transparency (we have nothing to hide. I don't know what they meant by transparency), we're transparent enough, wala naman kaming tinago dyan, lahat nakalabas na (we don't have anything to hide, all are disclosed)," Montalvan said.
"As far we know, we did the right thing. We did it in accordance to law, we followed procedures," the COWD board of directors chairman added.
He even advised the group of Ocio and Contreras to study the case they are planning to file against and to know what exactly the COWD did for the said course of action, adding that "they are most welcome, that's their right, they can file the case no problem."
"We will face them. The more the merrier," Montalvan said.