Voting 14 in favor with four abstentions, the 20th City Council passed five resolutions aimed at ensuring a steady water supply to Cagayan de Oro City’s households in a special evening session held Wednesday.

 

Resolution No. 2024-720 called on the Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) to make emergency bulk water purchases from major bulk water supplier Rio Verde Water Consortium Inc. and other water concessionaires while Resolution No. 2024-721 called on these bulk water suppliers to ensure a steady water supply to the city’s households in the first district.

 

The council also approved Resolution No. 2024-722 that adopted Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy’s Executive Order No. 196-2024 dated May 1, 2024 placing Cagayan de Oro City under a state of emergency and granting Mayor Klarex special emergency powers to address the cutoff of water supply service to COWD.

 

They also passed Resolution No. 2024-723 that called on the Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Inc. (COBI), its parent company Metro Pacific and COBI president Andrew Pangilinan to explain to the council why they shouldn’t be declared persona non grata for their decision to disconnect their water supply service to COWD effective on 12:01 am of May 1, Wednesday.

 

In passing the resolutions, council majority floor leader Edgar Cabanlas said City Hall under Mayor Klarex’s administration is duty bound to ensure a continuous water supply to the city’s households in the first district who will be affected by COBI’s disconnection of water supply to COWD.

 

Both COWD and COBI are locked in an ongoing water rate hike payment dispute. COBI is trying to collect over P400 million worth of collectibles from COWD which refused to acknowledge said amount, citing force majeure due to the COVID-19 pandemic as reason for their refusal to pay.

 

A 25-year-old contract signed between COWD and COBI in 2018 allowed COBI to impose a P3.97 increase in water rates every year starting in 2020.

 

In response, the council passed Resolution No. 2024-724 that asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to look into the COWD-COBI contract. ‘We’re not saying there are anomalies on the contract but we’re asking COA to investigate it. If they find something disadvantageous to the contract, then COA can file a case against those responsible at the Ombudsman,’ Cabanlas said.

 

In passing the resolutions, Cabanlas said the people of Cagayan de Oro should be spared from the ongoing dispute between COWD and COBI. ‘What we are concerned about is the supply of water and not the legalities that they are fighting over,’ he said.

 

In her message, Assistant Majority Floor Leader Joyleen Mercedes ‘Girlie’ Balaba said disconnection wasn’t a legal remedy mentioned in the COWD-COBI contract. ‘The right to water is a human right and governments all over the world have the obligation to respect, protect and fulfill it…should government decide to outsource their service to the private sector..it does not absolve government of its responsibility to conduct rigorous regulation and oversight (of these water suppliers),’ Balaba said. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)