City Hall’s task force for water supply and distribution secured assurances from the city’s bulk water supplier that negotiations will be pursued to resolve their dispute with the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD).

 

This development came even as Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy reassured the public that his administration readied contingency measures in case the Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Inc. (COBI) cuts off its bulk water service to COWD after March 31.

 

‘I asked the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to add more fire trucks (to service the affected areas),’ Mayor Klarex said in Visayan. During his Friday program ‘Ang Inyong Alagad: Mayor Klarex Uy’, Mayor Klarex said he won’t pre-empt any negotiations between COWD and COBI but will heed the recommendations issued by the task force co-chaired by Councilor Edgar Cabanlas.

 

‘I don’t want the public to suffer because (of the dispute between COWD and COBI),’ Mayor Klarex said in Visayan. Last Wednesday, Councilor Cabanlas reminded COBI lawyer Robert Rodrigo that City Hall had to intervene because COBI’s disconnection will affect 40,000 households or about 300,000 water consumers in the city.

 

‘Are you heartless?…we, the public are only bystanders (in your dispute with COWD) but we will (be severely affected by your disconnection)…That (disconnection notice) is (a threat), an act of arrogance,’ Cabanlas told Rodrigo.

During the video conference call, Rodrigo said they sent a letter to COWD management asking them to ‘sit down’ with them so they can arrive at a compromise agreement. ‘We heard you loud and clear sir…Please understand Mr. Chairman (Cabanlas) we didn’t intend (to alarm the public),’ Rodrigo said, adding that they hope to reach a settlement with COWD before March 31.

 

When asked by Councilor Yan Lam Lim on whether they are open to renegotiating the contract with COWD, Rodrigo said it depends on what provisions of the contract would be amended since these provisions are included in the conditions for the loans they secured from their creditor banks.

 

Rodrigo also agreed to Cabanlas’s proposal that COBI and COWD officials sit down with the 20th City Council to discuss the contract and promised to relay to Metro Pacific management Cabanlas’s request that COWD be given two months extension to resolve their payment dispute with COBI. Metro Pacific is majority owner of COBI with a 95 percent stake.

 

Wednesday afternoon’s meeting by the task force created by Mayor Klarex was also attended by bulk water suppliers like Rio Verde Water Consortium, who all assured the task force that they are ready to supply water to the city’s affected households in case COBI disconnects its bulk water supply service to COBI. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)