CEBU CITY Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña, now serving as the city’s water czar, has called for a complete overhaul of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) Board of Directors and management. In response, MCWD has issued a statement to the public, denying any impending financial collapse or water shutdown.
In a letter to the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, Osmeña requested a “revamp” of the current board, citing alleged incompetence and mismanagement. He told reporters that Metro Cebu’s water crisis is escalating, saying, “We have a very serious problem with water… There will probably be no water anymore. It was so mismanaged.”
Osmeña’s concerns about the water district’s financial stability were echoed by Mayor Nestor Archival, who had previously speculated that MCWD was nearing bankruptcy. Osmeña pointed to “many anomalies” and “major signs of corruption,” citing a recent incident where MCWD’s failure to pay a supplier in Cordova led to a power cutoff, leaving residents in Lapu-Lapu City without water for several days.
Under Presidential Decree 198, the mayor of Cebu City has the authority to appoint any qualified person to a vacant position on the MCWD board.
Osmeña received his designation from Mayor Nestor Archival on July 9 to oversee all water supply-related issues, including concerns about the MCWD’s crisis in the city.
MCWD’s response
MCWD has refuted Osmeña’s claims, assuring the public that there is no looming water shutdown, no financial collapse and no basis for alarm. The water district stated that its supply across Metro Cebu remains stable, with no indication that services will be cut off.
The agency acknowledged that some elevated and remote areas may experience low pressure or intermittent supply, which it said are a top priority. MCWD detailed its efforts to address these issues, including pipeline expansion, pressure management and the development of new water sources. From 2020 to 2025, MCWD increased its daily water production by 89,142 cubic meters, bringing its total capacity to 323,958 cubic meters per day. The district plans to add another 70,000 cubic meters over the next three years, aiming for a total production capacity of approximately 400,000 cubic meters per day.
Regarding the specific incident in Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova, MCWD clarified that the service interruption was an isolated issue caused by a power supply problem between its bulk water supplier, Mactan Rock Industries Inc., and Mactan Electric Company. The water district emphasized that it has consistently fulfilled its payment obligations to suppliers and is not responsible for the internal business transactions of private entities.
Background of the conflict
The current MCWD board is led by chairman Miguelito Pato. Osmeña’s move to overhaul the board comes amid long-standing disputes over its leadership, which escalated when then-mayor Michael Rama dismissed the board members, including then-chairman Jose Daluz III, and appointed his own replacements. A standoff ensued, which included a lockdown of the MCWD headquarters in April 2024.
Tensions eased when Raymond Alvin Garcia, who became mayor after Rama’s dismissal, took office and resumed negotiations with the Daluz-led board. The relationship between the City Government and the water district subsequently improved. In September, Daluz stepped down as chairman before his term ended and ran as vice mayor with Garcia in the last May midterm elections.
MCWD’s franchise area covers the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay, as well as the towns of Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova and Lilo-an. / EHP