Ex-legal officer of Tarlac accused of water pilferage

TARLAC CITY — The former senior legal adviser of Mayor Genaro Mendoza is facing a criminal case for allegedly stealing water from the Tarlac City Water District (TCWD).

A task force of the TCWD discovered an illegal water connection of lawyer Blesilo Buan, at his home in Barangay Sto. Cristo.

Noel Esguerra, TCWD’s commercial division manager who filed the charges, said that, "after (a) thorough investigation" of the incident, the local water firm discovered a "bypass connection" from its pipe to Buan’s home.

Buan was cited for violating the provisions of Republic Act 8041, otherwise known as the National Water Crisis Act of 1995, which criminalizes water pilferage.

The TCWD failed to determine how long Buan had been allegedly pilfering water. — Benjie Villa