Gullas to MCWD: “Way respetar”

CEBU, Philippines — “Way respetar,” was the statement of Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr. to the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), whose officials failed to appear in the scheduled first meeting of the Talisay Water Management Council last Wednesday.

Gullas, together with the City Council, barangay captains and department heads, was expecting the MCWD but they were a “no-show.”

The mayor has learned that MCWD officials were on vacation in Singapore and Japan.

Gullas could not contain his feelings of disappointment which led him to post it on his Facebook account.

“I was supposed to meet with officials from MCWD today for our first meeting with the newly-created Talisay Water Management Council to discuss issues concerning the dwindling water supply in our barangays. But unfortunately, no one from MCWD appeared in our meeting and I was just informed that the MCWD officials I was supposed to be meeting decided to take a vacation in Singapore and Japan. It took them a few hours and they still said they were on vacation on the same day we agreed. Where is the professional courtesy?” read Gullas’s post on social media.

Yesterday, Stephen Yee, acting manager of the MCWD, visited the office of the city mayor.

Gullas added that he received many complaints from his constituents about the level of service that the MCWD has reportedly given to the Talisay residents.

The executive officer wanted to relay the concerns of the people and to have a concrete solution from the water utility group.

“First of all, they need to invest in the City of Talisay which is their main supplier of water.  For so long they have never been concerned about it,” Gullas said.

MCWD Spokesperson Charmaine Kara explained that there was only a miscommunication, which led them to apologize to the mayor.

She said that they are currently focusing on preparation for the upcoming summer season.

She added they would check their distribution line to see if there are any areas where the new water line should be replaced.

Kara said they have a study now that those who have zero consumption or those who experienced no flow will not pay the minimum service charge but still requires the approval of the Local Water Utility Administration (LWUA).  GAN (FREEMAN)