MCWD’s new board awaits LWUA approval

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) now awaits the official approval of its new appointed board of directors from the Local Water Utility Association (LWUA).

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has appointed to the MCWD board former Cebu City councilor Jose Daluz III, Lawyer Francisco “Frank” Malilong Jr., former Cebu City mayor Alvin Garcia, Manolette Dinsay and Miguelito “Mike” Pato on January 6, 2020.

The appointment of the new board has been endorsed to the LWUA for approval.

Garcia, Malilong, and Dinsay were among the names that have surfaced immediately after the previous board were terminated by Labella on October 15, 2020.

Dinsay was the former legal counsel of Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and represents the civic sector, while Pato represents the business sector as a nominee of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Daluz, who is also the South Road Properties manager, represents the professional sector, Malilong represents the educational sector while Garcia represents the private sector.

The mayor ordered the termination of Joel Mari Yu (chairman), Ralph Sevilla (vice chairman), Cecilia Adlawan (secretary), Procopio Fernandez (member) and Augustus Pe (member) for being unable to solve the water crisis in its service areas in Metro Cebu.

Sevilla, Adlawan, and Pe have filed charges against Labella and the LWUA for their “illegal” termination.

As for MCWD, it has withdrawn the case against the mayor and LWUA after the latter declared the termination as final.

MCWD, a government-owned and controlled entity,  now awaits the final appointment of LWUA for the new board members.

MCWD spokesperson Charmaine Kara said they expect to receive the decision by today, January 9, 2020.

The city government is also expecting the “approval” on the same day.

Once the approval has been given, the new board will convene to elect the officers of the new board.

Labella, in previous statements, said that he wants to appoint a new board that can guarantee solutions to the water crisis.

The demand for Metro Cebu reaches 500,000 cubic meters per day, but the MCWD only supplies 240,000 cubic meters per day.

The mayor is inclined to having desalination facilities as a solution to the water shortage despite its higher cost, but the Cebu City Council is keen on strengthening rainwater catchment instead to save money.

In earlier statements, Daluz said the new board will coordinate with the other local government units serviced by MCWD to discuss the possible short term and long term solutions to the water problem. /elb