THE struggle for control over the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) has disgusted some of the water distributor’s customers, prompting them to flock to the MCWD’s main office in downtown Cebu City to stage a protest on Tuesday morning, April 16, 2024.
But when they arrived, the doors were locked. The main office was closed. And the security guards could not provide a reason why.
The MCWD released an advisory around 7 a.m. that frontline services, including bill payment, reconnection requests and customer care, would not be available until further notice “due to a security breach” at the main office.
The protesters demanded the resignation of MCWD board members Jose Daluz III, Miguelito Pato and Jodelyn May Seno, as well as general manager Edgar Donoso.
All four had been suspended by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA)—Daluz, Pato and Seno for six months, and Donoso for 90 days. These officials do not recognize the LWUA’s authority to suspend them.
Evangeline Abejo, lead convener of Supak sa Kalisod Cebu City basic sectors, also requested Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to refrain from interfering in the squabble.
Other consumers made their voices heard on social media, particularly on MCWD’s Facebook page.
Solutions sought
Most of them wanted one thing from MCWD, which serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay, and the municipalities of Compostela, Liloan, Consolacion and Cordova: a solution to the water supply problems.
“Way agas pirme. Naunsa na man mo, uy (There’s no water all the time. What’s wrong with you, people)?” said Babylyn Reyes Miao.
She posted this comment on MCWD’s Facebook page statement on Tuesday that “kindly” requested its consumers to refrain from visiting its office and urged them to make use of its collection centers instead.
“Solbara problema sa tubig, uy. Paeta ninyo (Solve the problem on water supply. You are all pathetic)!” said Mae Bacol Veloso.
SunStar Cebu reported on April 11 that MCWD had identified 12 barangays in the cities of Cebu, Talisay and Mandaue that have been “severely affected” by water supply shortages amid a continued drop in daily production.
These are Barangays Umapad, Opao, Alang-alang, Looc and Subangdaku in Mandaue City; Lorega San Miguel, Binaliw, San Jose, Talamban and Pit-os in Cebu City; and Cansojong and San Roque in Talisay City.
However, residents in other barangays not included in the list are also struggling with their water supply, with one consumer reporting inconsistent service since January.
MCWD spokesperson Minerva Gerodias told SunStar Cebu on Thursday, April 11, that they continue to face a struggle in providing water supply as its production has plummeted, with a reduction of 46,748 cubic meters of water each day.
The local water utility’s daily output now stands at just 254,252 cubic meters as of Wednesday, April 10, which translates to a 15.53 percent decrease from the utility’s maximum production capacity.
Road closures
The water distributor, in a separate statement posted on its Facebook page Tuesday, said it “vehemently condemns the brazen actions of the Local Water Utilities Administration, interim board of directors, Cebu City Hall and lawyer John Dx Lapid for their atrocious disruption of our services.”
It accused Lapid — the LWUA-appointed officer-in-charge to replace general manager Donoso, who was suspended last Friday — of barricading and cordoning off the MCWD building, which is a stone’s throw away from the Cebu City Hall.
The City closed Magallanes and Lapu-Lapu streets, blocking the roads in the vicinity of the MCWD main office. Motorists and public utility vehicles were rerouted to M.J. Cuenco Ave. and were made to turn right on Osmeña Blvd.
The roads were reopened to traffic just before noon.
Lapid said he did not authorize the road closures, adding that only the City Government could do that.
He said he didn’t know who was behind the move, as he was on leave.
Donoso had barred Lapid and other LWUA-appointed officials from entering MCWD’s premises early Monday morning.
Noe Villagonzalo, a Facebook user, said politics is behind the power struggle at the MCWD.
“Sobrang pamolitika ug kahangol sa gahom. Unta ang serbisyo para sa katawhan maoy ipatigbabaw (What I see is too much politics and excessive hunger for power. Serving the people should be at the top of their minds)!” he said.
Not naming any particular official at MCWD, Char Lene wants them to voluntarily step down.
“Walay klaro nga abiso among meter. Walay abiso. Putol lang dayon nga naa man unta mi sa (There was no clear notice about our meter [getting disconnected]. There was no notice. They just cut off the line even if we are living in a) subdivision. No letter or disconnection notice. Mao lagi (All right), karma will always hunt you,” she said.
Resignation
Consumers were not the only ones fed up with the ongoing power struggle at the MCWD.
Lapid told members of the media Tuesday that he was resigning as OIC general manager.
“I am resigning as OIC-general manager as appointed by the interim board of LWUA, not as an employee of MCWD. As an employee of MCWD, I am considering it, pero gihunahuna pa nako kung unsay makaayo sa akong pamilya (but I’m still thinking about what will be good for my family),” he said.
Lapid is the division manager for customer care at the MCWD.
He admitted that he was feeling the pressure because the matter was already affecting his family.
Lapid said he didn’t want to hold on to something if it wasn’t worthwhile, adding that his resignation is addressed to the MCWD and the LWUA.
“I want to take a rest. I was trying to fight for what I know is right, but the problem is the whole thing has become politicized, which I don’t like,” Lapid said in a mix of Cebuano and English. “Di ko ganahan nga gamiton ko sa (I don’t want to be used for) politics.”
Meanwhile, MCWD spokesperson Gerodias explained that the water district also temporarily suspended the disconnection of accounts facing disconnection until further notice.
While this may be good news to those facing disconnection, it is bad news to those whose connections were already disconnected as their request for reconnection cannot be processed yet.
Security breach
As for the security breach, Gerodias said Lapid told them that around 70 personnel from Cebu City entered the MCWD main office around 10 p.m. Monday.
“Yesterday, they knocked and when the guard opened, they barged in. They were bringing mallets, tools because ‘manglungkab’ sila sa taas (they planned to force open upstairs),” she said.
She said they tried to open Donoso’s office with a credit card.
Gerodias said they will conduct an inventory on their documents to make sure none are missing.
She said the MCWD will file a legal complaint against those involved in the incident.
Daluz, Pato, Seno and Donoso were finally able to enter the main office by 3 p.m. They were accompanied by some MCWD employees.
Upon reaching the general manager’s office, Donoso discovered that the vault and the locked cabinets that contained important documents had been forcibly opened.
He said they will request police assistance to prevent the incident from happening again.
Members of Task Force Kasaligan, along with Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office personnel and police from the Cebu City Police Office, continue to be deployed outside the MCWD main office.
The LWUA suspended Daluz, Pato and Seno to give way for its investigation on issues like MCWD’s high non-revenue water and alleged failure to comply with procurement laws. It suspended Donoso for defying the LWUA-installed interim board’s request to turn over documents on MCWD’s transactions. / KAL, JJL, WBS, AML, EHP