CAGAYAN DE ORO, PHILIPPINES –Through the City Council, the local government is considering enforcing its police power and seeking legal remedies to address water supply issues.
Councilor Edgar Cabanlas of the Second District will lead a meeting on Thursday. The meeting will discuss customer safeguards for Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD), managed by the city, and Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Incorporated (COBI), a third-party supplier.
In a statement released Tuesday, Cabanlas stated, “We may enforce expropriation on this matter, initiated by our local government so that we can assume control in its operations.”
Concerns regarding the city’s water supply have resurfaced over the weekend after several communities had a 72-hour service outage.
The Office of the City Mayor received a “notice of disconnection” from COBI to COWD on March 1, indicating an unpaid balance of PHP426.8 million.
Additionally, Mayor Rolando Uy designated Cabanlas as the head of the technical working group to investigate the unanticipated delay of water interruption in certain areas.
Although COWD’s outstanding obligations have not yet been paid, Second District Councilor James Judith stated that a temporary restraining order may be requested to keep providing the service to customers.
According to Uy, although the public’s ire at COBI’s delayed repairs is reasonable, what infuriated city dwellers was their lack of knowledge regarding the severity of the issue.
“We were told about the repairs, and we’re used to expecting that it was a minor problem,” he explained.
COBI is moving isolation valves impacted by the Department of Public Works and Highways’ ongoing flood control project.
The affected villages were at least 26.
Uy directed the dispatch of two water tankers during the disruption and the deployment of tankers by the Bureau of Fire Protection station and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department.
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