City Councilor Leon Gan on Monday questioned why City Mayor Oscar Moreno seemed to have "overlooked" the new contract between Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) and MetroPac Water Investments Corp. where it was indicated that water purchase will increase from P10.45 to P16 per cubic meter, possibly increasing water cost in the next months.
Gan said he will be joining efforts by Councilors Teodulfo Lao Jr. and Eric Salcedo to have the contract nullified as it was supposedly done without public consultation, and that implementation of such contract may lead to higher water rates.
Officials of the water district earlier disclosed that the agreement allows the new bulk water supplier to collect P16 per cubic meter from COWD as opposed to the P10.45 per cubic meter from its previous bulk water supplier, Rio Verde Water Consortium Inc. (RVWCI).
Gan said if anyone should be held accountable, it should be the mayor as the local chief executive had supervision, if not control, over the joint venture agreement signed last August in Manila.
"Kung akoy pasultihon, ang unahon gyud nato ug basol ang atong mayor, kay siya ang dunay kalambigitan pagtudlo inganing mga directors sa water district, buot pasabot, duna gyud siyay supervision, if not control, sa maong kasabotan, compared aning mga pinili kay ikaw gud ang nagpili sa ila," he said.
"Ang mayor nipirma isip testigo sa maong kontrata, unya nirpirma ka lang diay na walay basa-basa sa kontrata? mao ni ang tanghaga na kinahanglan tubagon kay kung akoy pasultihon, kung duna kitay mahuptan na dokumento, kung mahimo, ato gyud kining ipa annul, tungod kay nabintahaan ang katawhan sa dakbayan," he said.
Gan added that "there should have been a public consultation since the matter concerns the people of Cagayan de Oro, and should not have been done silently like it was a secret."
He said he was also shocked when the news came out that the agreement was already signed without their knowledge.
"We will soon bring this to the courts and hope to nullify the contract," he said.
Lawyer Adonis Gumahad, meanwhile, said a class suit should be the next move for the councilors and the people against the water district.
Gumahad, who also experienced the water crisis in the western part of the city, said any citizen in the city who objects to the implementation of the contract could file the case.
"Mas maayo kung daghan ang mo-file para kusog. Ang class suit involves subject matter nga common or general interests, and number of affected are numerous. Mag-involve lang several persons to represent the class suit for damages lang sa, para atong mga unannounced water disruption. Pero sa contract, we still need to study it," he said.
Meanwhile, Engineer Bienvenido Batar Jr, assistant general manager of the COWD, assured the public that the increased water price would correspond to an improved and better delivery of services to the consumers.
He said the new agreement provides clear-cut provisions of penalties in times of water under-deliveries, a point that is loose under the Rio Verde agreement.
"Tungod kay naay penalty, magbantay gyud ang MetroPac kung naa man galing panghitabo, ilaha gyud ma-sustain ang delivery sa tubig sa water district, so medyo ma-eliminate ang intermittent water deliveries," he said.
"Naa man sad ta ani na clause sa Rio Verde, pero medyo loose to siya, so karon standardized na namo, mas klaro ang deliveries karon, naa gyud silay himuon nga measures na ma ensure ang delivery sa tubig," he added.
Batar added, that water supply in the eastern side would be improved, as it would pave the way for the construction of the Camaman-an reservoir.
"Paghuman ug butang ana nila na pipe, ma improve ang supply sa east side, so among gitarget diha is areas sa Gusa, Cugman, Lapasan, unya sa mga naay low pressure karon, ma-address na kay ultimately by 2019, madungagan ug 20 million liter per day (MLD), half sa delivery sa Rio Verde karon, then sa 2020, mahimo nga 40 MLD," he said.
Batar also pointed out that the approved P16 per cubic meter of water payment went through the right process, which includes negotiations and public bidding.
"Ang original gani na price is P18 per cubic meter, unya gipaagi sa public bidding, wala man pud nicontest sa offer sa MetroPac, so nasabtan namo nga it was a fair enough offer for us, kay wala man nicontest," he said.
He said the increase should bear no immediate impact on the public since any increase is subject for approval of the Local Water Utilities Administration.
