‘Leyte water district execs illegally staying in post’

Executives of the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD) are illegally staying in their posts in violation of a final decision of the Supreme Court (SC), two local groups said yesterday.

The Tacloban Union of Barangay Officials (TUBO) and Alliance of Water Concessionaires (Alwacon) have called on LMWD directors to vacate their posts and stop depriving Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez of her appointing authority.

Both groups cited an SC decision last Nov. 23, which ruled that the mayor of an independent and chartered city has the right to appoint the local water district board members if city residents comprise the majority of its customers.

Noel Tabao, TUBO president, also cited an SC ruling on a similar case in Cebu City where former mayor Michael Rama was declared as “the appointing authority of the Members of the Board of Directors of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD).”

“The SC has spoken with finality, and its decision is very clear: If the majority of the customers of a local water district come from an independent chartered city, then the city’s mayor is the one authorized to appoint the water district’s board members,” Tabao said.

For Alwacon vice president Neptali Fajardo, the LMWD board members should not just step down but also put on hold their major policy decisions, including an impending partnership with Manila Water.

“The LMWD board should put the brakes on this agreement lest they be questioned for entering into a midnight deal that they should not be deciding on in the first place,” Fajardo said.

TUBO and Alwacon had earlier warned Tacloban residents about possible irregularities should Manila Water be tapped to provide the water services in the city.

The two groups pointed out that the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) had rejected Manila Water’s P85.7-million proposed expense for expansion outside Metro Manila.

They argued that the MWSS concession agreement with Manila Water requires that its earnings from concession areas should be used only in that area and not in other parts of the country.