Opinions clash on proposed city water monitoring body

CEBU, Philippines - The proposed ordinance creating the Cebu City Water Resources Authority gets divided opinion from stakeholders.

Six are in favor while four have opposed the measure during the regular session of the City Council.

Those who are in favor are the Freedom from Debt Coalition-Cebu, Consumer’s Rights and Economic Welfare, Kaabag sa Sugbo, Water Resources Center, Urban Poor Sector, and Architect Socorro Atega. They said the body would help protect the water resources located in Cebu City.

Meanwhile, those who oppose – the Metro Cebu Water District, Alliance of Government Workers in the Water Sector, private water utility service provider, and private representative Celestino Bustamante – argued that it would only duplicate the existing National Water Resources Board.

The authors of the proposal, Councilors Noel Wenceslao and Ma. Nida Cabrera, said the body will help conserve and utilize water resources effectively and equitably.

Tito Villagonzalo, president of FDC, said the creation of the body is very vital, considering that water is a basic necessity.

“This should have been done earlier to be able to manage well our water resources, thereby avoiding problems we are facing in this period,” he said.

Jose Gapus, representative of Kaabag sa Sugbo, also believes that the body should be established as soon as possible.

“If we project in the next 50 years, if we do not do anything now to stop and reverse the drying up of water resources in Cebu, in 50 years, all water systems in Cebu will be dried up,” he said.

He said that in 1960, all the river systems were flowing with fresh water but they eventually dried up with riverbanks now occupied by informal settlers.

Lawyer Rose Villacastin said, however, that NWRB now assumes the function of monitoring activities of water utilities.

Engr. Lazaro Salvacion, MCWD environment department manager and assistant general manager for operations, said the water district welcomes all efforts to protect water sources in the city but said the proposed body would just be “added layer” and would duplicate the functions and tasks of NWRB and MCWD.

“NWRB is mandated to appropriate, regulate and preserve water resources while MCWD is mandated to distribute water to consumers,” he said.

What the city needs, Salvacion believes, is an ordinance that would support or give teeth to the tripartite MOA entered into between MCWD, NWRB, and the city government.

Victor Chiong of the Alliance of Government Workers in the Water Sector also highlighted this agreement in opposing the proposal.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, the Council’s presiding officer, asked the stakeholders to submit their position papers and indicate questions they may have for Wenceslao and Cabrera for the final deliberations on the proposal.  (FREEMAN)