Water supply issue in Cebu City: Malacañang help sought

CEBU, Philippines — Some consumers of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), representing various groups in Metro Cebu, are calling on the Office of the President to intervene in the long-standing water supply situation in Cebu City.

The group, through a letter addressed to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, is urging the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to step in—similar to its intervention in Cagayan de Oro’s water district—to properly address the ongoing issues with MCWD.

In the letter, the group noted that they believe holding a rally or mass action against MCWD is neither appropriate nor necessary for the government to hear their concerns; instead, they hope to formally submit their appeal.

The letter, which was shared with The Freeman by a source, was dated December 6, 2024, and was received by the Office of the President on December 20, 2024, before being forwarded to the Presidential Action Center on December 26, 2024.

In their letter, the group informed Malacañang of their “serious concerns regarding the poor and deteriorating services provided” by MCWD.

“Many of us spend a lot of time waking up very early just to store water needed for the day but oftentimes not enough...At times we are forced to buy expensive water from a truck delivery, of which aside from the inconvenience, it becomes a financial burden to cover other basic needs,” the group said.

The group also mentioned MCWD’s Board of Directors, previously led by lawyer Joey Daluz, concerning issues of graft, corruption, and mismanagement, claims they say are based on newspaper reports.

“As written in the newspaper, Cebu City alone has a supply deficit of 250 million liters per day. It steadily increases every year. One of the reasons is the high percentage of Non-Revenue Water (NRW),” the group said, although not specifying which newspaper they cited, while also referencing a Commission on Audit (COA) report on MCWD’s NRW.

The group further alleged that instead of prioritizing efforts to reduce NRW and sourcing cheaper water supplies, the Board of Directors opted to acquire expensive desalinated water.

“It came to our knowledge that the reported fast tracking and rigged acquisition to a favored company of the three (3) desalination projects worth P66.8B is detrimental to the government and a clear violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” it said.

To protect their interests in these projects, the group alleged that Daluz, along with two other unnamed board members, went as far as expelling two newly appointed directors who opposed their views.

“With this, it will require MCWD to pay a staggering amount of P66.8B for the next 29 years…This translates to P2.3B per year for these projects only. How can MCWD pay such an amount? It can only pass a portion to the consumers like us as increase in prick is regulated by Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA),” the group said.

The group added that the rest of the costs would be absorbed by MCWD, which they believe could lead to bankruptcy.

They further claimed that even though MCWD has yet to receive water supply from these desalination plants, the management has already been passing on its losses to consumers through their monthly bills under a charge known as “Purchase Water Adjustment,” allegedly without LWUA’s approval or a public hearing. This, they said, has added to their financial burden.

Other issues raised in the letter included the termination of the Carmen and Mambaling bulk water supply contracts and the forced layoff of personnel.

The group also pointed out LWUA’s supposed intervention in MCWD but claimed that it had failed to resolve the ongoing issues.

“Until now, from the time LWUA intervened eight months ago, the problems of MCWD have not been resolved as what the National Government did in Cagayan de Oro Water District,” they pointed out.

In conclusion, the group, describing themselves as deprived and desperate MCWD consumers, appealed to Malacañang to mandate LWUA to address their concerns.

“We would like to appeal to your good office to mandate LVUA, that has the authority to administer all the water districts in the country to intervene to help save MCWD and at the same time address the unbearable hardship we are facing for quite some time already,” they said.

The Freeman tried to reach out to Daluz, who had stepped down as MCWD chair to become the running mate of Mayor Raymond Garcia in the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, MCWD spokesperson Minerva Gerodias said they have not received any communication from Malacañang concerning the matter but confirmed that they received a letter from LWUA last week.

Gerodias said LWUA instructed MCWD to respond to the allegations, which she described as a “rehash” of previous issues, adding that the utility’s legal team is already handling the matter. — (FREEMAN)