MCWD Board told: Collaborate, avoid conflict

CEBU, Philippines — Avoid conflicts and work together.

This was Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia’s marching order to the members of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) Board under the new chairman, Engineer Miguelito Pato.

Pato was recently elected chairman of MCWD Board of Directors, replacing Lawyer Jose Daluz III who resigned to run for vice mayor of Cebu City in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.

Garcia has already appointed Lawyer Ferdinand Pepito as replacement of Daluz in the board. He will serve Daluz’ unexpired term until the end of this year.

Although he has the authority to appoint the members of the MCWD Board, Garcia clarified that this authority does not extend to the selection of the chairman. He said the power to choose the chairman and other board officers falls within the members of the board.

“You should be aware that wala jud koy labot anang chairmanship. It is really the board of directors who will elect their officers,” Garcia explained.

The 5-man MCWD Board is currently composed of Pato, Pepito, and Jodelyn Seno. Two more seats, which were vacated by Lawyers Earl Bonachita and Danilo Ortiz, are yet to be filled by Garcia.

The mayor, however, has already named Dr. Carlo Maamo to be one of the appointees albeit no formal appointment has been made yet.

Garcia said he wants the MCWD Board to be composed of people coming from various fields. But he emphasized that the board should have a collective thought and must come together to lead the water district.

“Magkasinabot para naay cooperation, naay coordination aron walay conflict that may arise. So mao nga ako sad gyud ng gitan-aw kung kinsa atong ibutang dira nga who will think and work with the others,” said Garcia.

“We got a lawyer, then engineer Pato is an engineer, and then doctor Maamo is a medical doctor, and then Mae Seno comes from the private sector, and another one,” he added.

Earlier, controversies besieged the water district with some of the board members refusing to recognize the authority of the chairman. The leadership crisis stemmed from then mayor Michael Rama’s termination of Daluz and two other directors for alleged “loss of trust and confidence”.

The Daluz-led board refused to step down contending that the mayor does not have the authority to fire any member of the water district’s board. The controversy prompted the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to intervene by appointing an interim board.

The matter was raised before the Office of Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) which eventually rendered an opinion in favor of Daluz. — (FREEMAN)