Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia | CDND File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia expressed hope that Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella will consider the inclusion of a provincial government representative into the new composition of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) Board of Directors.
But Garcia said that she would not impose on the mayor.
“Let’s give him (Labella) a free hand (in choosing the new members of the MCWD Board of Directors). I cannot be eyeing kung kinsa ang i-recommend kay wa pa gami ta kasiguro kung duna bay slot nga ihatag for the province. I don’t want to be so presumptuous. I will just be hopeful,” Garcia said in an interview on Wednesday afternoon, October 16.
Read More: Labella sacks MCWD board of directors
Labella ordered on Tuesday, October 15, the termination of five board members, four of whom were appointed by former mayor Tomas Osmeña while the fifth one was appointed by former mayor and now Vice Mayor Michael Rama.
The Cebu City mayor said that their termination was in order because of their failure to come up with solutions to Metro Cebu’s water crisis.
Read More: MCWD chair speaks out: We are not at fault for water crisis
Garcia backed Labella’s decision to terminate members of the MCWD board. She said that the “water crisis now experienced in Cebu due to the uncaring attitude of the previous board members will serve as a warning to the new incoming board members.”
“We are now experiencing a water crisis and I am sure that Mayor Ed Labella will choose those who are totally committed to addressing this grave challenge,” Garcia said.
As an expression of support, Garcia said that she wanted to give Labella a free hand in choosing his trusted people whom he wanted to sit on the MCWD board.
Should the Cebu City mayor decide to give a slot to a provincial representative, Garcia said this will be advantageous to the two Local Government Units because “finally the consumers or households that fall under the franchise area of MCWD and belong to the local government units of the province will (already) be given (representation in the board).”
Garcia said that finally, Capitol will already have “a voice in the (MCWD) board.”
In previous interviews, the governor said that Cebu province should be given representation in the MCWD Board of Directors considering that towns and cities in the province’s first, fifth districts, and sixth districts fall within the water district’s service area. / dcb