TACLOBAN CITY, Jan.
30 – Malacañang Palace will not
intervene in the ongoing power struggle at the Leyte Metropolitan Water
District, Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns Wendel Avisado said.
During his visit to
the LMWD office here Monday afternoon, Avisado said it’s not the job of
President Rodrigo Duterte to decide who among the local government units have
the legal mandate to appoint the governing board of the water district.
The Chief Executive, according
to Avisado, has no details about the issue that may affect the water district’s
nearly 34,000 water consumers in the city and nearby seven towns.
“The President is not
fully aware of the issue in the water district. We will make sure that we will
not intervene because both camps have legal arguments. Since the matter has
been brought up to the court, let the court decide,” Avisado told reporters.
The Palace official
came to the city to inspect post-disaster housing projects as the official
tasked by Duterte to oversee rehabilitation projects for super typhoon Yolanda
survivors.
The official,
however, stressed the need for the Local Water Utilities Administration to come
in and help settle the issue since it’s their mandate to promote and oversee the
development of water supply systems in cities and municipalities outside the
National Capital Region.
Last week, LMWD
acting general manager Pastor Homeres wrote a letter to the President exposing
the corruption committed by the old board of directors in the implementation of
projects such as office building constructions, pipeline projects, and purchase
of vehicle.
On Dec. 11, 2017,
Romualdez appointed a new set of officers for LMWD after the Supreme Court
handed down a decision declaring Presidential Decree (PD) 198 unconstitutional.
Such a decree
mandated that a local government which has 75 percent of water consumers of a
water district has the authority to appoint board of directors.
The mayor said that
her decision to appoint the board of directors stemmed from the case of Cebu
Mayor Michael Rama, Metropolitan Cebu Water District et. al. vs. Home Gilbert
Moises.
"It states that
the mayor of highly urbanized city (such as Tacloban), having the mere majority
(instead of the 75 percent requirement), of the total active water service
connections of the local water district which are within the boundary of such city,
should be the person empowered the members of the board directors of such local
water district," Romualdez reiterated in a press statement issued Monday.
The city government
said that based on the 2014 LMWD report, 67.5 percent of the water district’s
consumers is in the regional capital.
The city-appointed
officials filed an application for temporary restraining order on Dec. 14, 2017
with the Regional Trial Court to claim authority over the water district. The
court denied the application after five days and the motion for reconsideration
on Jan. 9, 2018.
On Jan. 17, the board
of directors appointed by Romualdez entered the LMWD office in Nula Tula
village. Majority of employees supported them as they promised to release the
benefits under the Collective Negotiation Agreement.
Since then, the board
of directors appointed by Leyte Governor Dominico Petilla has been prevented
from entering the premises of the water district.
They recalled the
June 6, 2006 appointment of Homeres as manager and appointed Adolfo Olaya, a
retired police officer to manage the water district.
The provincial
government-backed officials and 22 employees set up a temporary office at the
Leyte Academic Center.
“We, the legitimate
LMWD board of directors, would like to ensure customers, employees, and the
general public, that amid the chaos and confusion caused by the fake directors,
we will continue to fulfil our mandate and serve the best interest of the
people,” the group of Petilla said in a statement.
Provincial Board
Resolution No. 52 adopted on February 19, 1975 creates the LMWD by merging the
then Leyte Metropolitan Water Supply System and the Tolosa Waterworks System.
LMWD initially served
3,365 water concessionaires covering the municipalities of Dagami, Tolosa,
Tanauan, Palo, and this city. As of December 2016, the total active number of
service connections was pegged at 33,832 to include the towns of Tabon-Tabon,
Sta. Fe and Pastrana.
Approximately 60,000
cubic meters of potable water is delivered to the LMWD service areas every day
with the main bulk of supply coming from Dagami and Pastrana towns.
Petilla admitted that
the action might affect the improving working relations between Tacloban
City and Leyte province.
The Romualdezes and
Petillas have political rift over several issues, including the proposed
transfer of airport out the city, local festivals, and conversion of Tacloban
as highly urbanized city in 2008.
The reclassification
took away the administrative control of the provincial government of Leyte of
the regional capital. (SQM/PNA)
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