“They cannot unilaterally stop the delivery.”
This was stressed on Wednesday, August 29, by Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) general manager Juliana Carbon after they received a letter from the Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. (BBWI) that they are contemplating of stopping the water delivery by August 31 after the utility firm did not pay as they cannot sustain the operations for the Injection Point 1 in Barangay Granada.
Carbon said they received the letter on August 7 which was signed by BBWI Chairman Ryan Yapkianwee.
They already conducted a joint meeting with the BBWI and discussed all the issues and the possible solutions for the smooth implementation of the project, she said.
“Of course, there are still pending legal issues that we have to resolve with the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) and that is beyond our control. We already have a sort of understanding on what they are going to do with the issues on Injection Point 1,” she said.
The NWRB had earlier issued a CDO prohibiting Baciwa and BBWI drawing water at Ngalan River for lack of permit.
The BBWI is a consortium majority owned and led by Tubig Pilipinas Inc. Group. Through the Ngalan water treatment plant, it is currently supplying more than 15,000 cubic meters of potable water to Baciwa.
BBWI started its water delivery in November 2017, but until now they were not paid because of the non-compliance on the contract. Its billing to Baciwa reached to P27 million from November 2017 to August 2018.
Carbon said Baciwa already set aside the funds for the payment, but it will be released once the legal issues will be resolved and there is no longer a cease and desist order (CDO) from the NWRB and if all the requirements under the contract are complied with.
“We will issue a certification to them that money is being set aside by the water district for payment, subject to any adjustment as there are still some adjustments on their billings. The water district is always working for the best interest of the district and the public,” she added.
The Bacolod City Council had earlier approved a resolution requesting the Baciwa and BBWI to shed light on the CDO issued by NWRB prohibiting Baciwa and BBWI from drawing water at Ngalan River for lack of permit.