Evangeline A. tagged by MCWD director
One Evangeline Abejo was identified in an April 14, 2024 news story as "lead convenor" of "Supak sa Kalisod Cebu City basic sectors," which protested at the MCWD offices at about 7 a.m. of the same day.
The news story didn't specify the number of protesters but they were described as "some of the disgusted MCWD customers" who demanded the resignation of suspended water district officials: three directors and the general manager.
Abejo in the April 14, 2024 news could be the same Abejo whom an August 28, 2023 item in the Facebook page "Cebu Updates" named as leader of 15 protesters who gathered in front of the MCWD building twice last year (August 18 and August 23, 2023) to protest against the Daluz-led board.
The "Cebu Updates" item sourced the information ("revelation") to Judelyn Seno who "managed to procure" a copy of the BAC (bids and awards committee) resolution of March 30, 2023, covering Abejo's appointment for the second six months of 2023.
Seno is one of three directors led by Jose Daluz III who have frustrated various attempts of Mayor Mike Rama to terminate them and, recently, and of LWUA to suspend them.
The Abejo story this week didn't identify her as a City Hall consultant while the 2023 item in social media did. A reproduction of a notice of award from the office of the Cebu City mayor -- dated December 28, 2023, signed by the mayor, and circulated in social media -- informs one "Ms. Evangeline Abejo" as having been "selected as Consultant on Poverty Alleviation" with the mayor's office, carrying a monthly pay of P32,000 from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024.
City Hall 'invasion'; Capitol 'counter-offensive'
The Daluz camp called it an "invasion" when Cebu City Hall personnel escorted Atty. John Dx Lapid, whom MCWD's interim board of directors had appointed as temporary GM, into his office after he sought the LGU's help when he was barred entry, along with the LWUA-appointed directors. City Hall allegedly came well-equipped, with fire trucks and vehicles from the city's disaster management office.
What would you call the response of Capitol to the emergency: the crisis press-con that assembled town mayors and councilors, Provincial Boar members, along with the "beleaguered" department heads and other MCWD officials? At least, a counter-offensive.
The governor, the Capitol government media said, "called for" officials from the regional police, Cebu City and Mandaue City police, the AFP joint task force, Bureau of Fire Protection, among others, to the planning session.
"Unsa na ni -- gubat patani?" somebody asked in social media. And which side won the day, that fateful Thursday? Atty. Lapid, not quite true to the toughie reputation of a Lapid in the movies, quickly folded up, resigned from his temporary GM job and fell back into the arms of Daluz who had earlier threatened him with a charge of insubordination.
While Guv Gwen was open in her support of the Daluz group in the squabble over MCWD, Mayor Mike was not. He distanced himself from the April 16 fracas at the MCWD offices. He washed his hands off the alleged "invasion" of the MCWD premises. He couldn't have done that, ripostes blogger Max Limpag to a pub-mat of Mayor Rama's quote, "unsaon pag-wash hands, wa may agas."
LWUA interim board, Rama 'authentic' board
City Hall helped install the LWUA-appointed general manager -- Atty. Lapid who later resigned when he realized he couldn't stand the MCWD heat -- and the interim directors who were also designated by LWUA.
And yet Mayor Rama insists that the directors he appointed were the "authentic directors."
Did he help install the LWUA-named officials then? Maybe not technically, as he disclaimed any part in the "invasion" at MCWD that was apparently led by his two top "consiglieres" (in a neutral, not Mafia, sense).
Political leaders who are allied with Guv Gwen
Who are politically allied with Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia and have supported her on Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT), Cebu Port Authority, and MCWD issues?
Guv Gwen's answer, as told to News+One: "All 44 municipal mayors and municipal councils, 5 out of 6 component city mayors and city councils (except Danao), the 2 HUCs (highly urbanized cities) of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, all those LGUs' barangay captains and barangay councils, and the 10 House representatives (all seven congressional districts of Cebu Province, the lone districts of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu and the Ako Bisaya Partylist."
"All are allied with yours truly," she said, correcting a line from an April 17, 2024 News+One report that mentioned as her political allies the Cebu PB and town mayors and town councils who were present during her Capitol press-con.
"In other words," she summed up, "ALL political leaders of CEBU except Rama and Durano" (capitalization hers). "Rama rabidly defending BRT while Durano (not allied for obvious political reasons) merely being silent," she said.
As to the two Cebu City legislators in the House, Rachel "Cutie" del Mar and Edu Rama, "both being merely silent," Guv Gwen said, "and both being my good friends." -- Tell us about it at paseares1@gmail.com.