Liloan creates water monitoring committee

CEBU, Philippines - Liloan town Mayor Vincent Franco "Duke" Frasco has created a Local Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee tasked to protect consumers from the different water suppliers.

In his Executive Order, Frasco said all water suppliers in the municipality such as water service cooperatives/associations and Retail water System establishments are responsible for ensuring that the water they produce and supply meets the quality established by the 1993 National Standard for Drinking Water.

He said Section 3 of the implementing Rules and Regulations of Chapter II "Water Supply" of the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines, P.D. 856 mandates that the local government unit shall establish a Water Surveillance Program thru the Creation of the Local Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee to promote health and well-being of the general public and prevent the incidence of water-borne diseases.

The mayor said the committee will conduct regular collection and analysis of water samples, evaluate laboratory results as to their compliance to standards, conduct regular or immediate sanitary survey during the existence of a potential cause of contamination.

The committee is also tasked to institute remedial measures to correct the deficiency of water systems, informing the public of the latest quality of the drinking water in the town and perform such other functions relative to water quality assurance.

Under Executive Order No. 2011-019, the committee is composed of Mayor Frasco as chairman, Municipal Health Officer Dr. Francisco Dela Cuesta, Jr, as Vice Chairman, Ms. Caroline Angus, a representative from Department of Health-7, as secretary, Sanitation Inspector Luzviminda Longakit, action officer.

The members are Councilor Lucelito Pilapil, chairman of the committee on health of the Sangguniang Bayan, Municipal Engineer Remedios Udtoha, Ms. Ailer Terol, owner and manager of Aqua Mega Refilling Station, Yati Barangay Captain Leo Salundaguit, president of the Association of Barangay Councils, Engr. Edwin Zamora, representative of the Provincial Health Office and Rolando Tabunag, Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office. (FREEMAN)