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[av_heading heading=’Guv ready to give up ‘power’ over MIWD ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. said he has no problem giving up the authority to appoint the directors of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) board.
Mayor Jose Espinosa III of Iloilo City wanted such authority returned to the city mayor. He called for a new count of the number of active MIWD concessionaires.
Section 3 of Presidential Decree No. 198 or the Local Water District Law provides that if more than 75 percent of the total concessionaires are found in the city, the appointing authority shall be the city mayor. If the total number of concessionaires in the city is below 75 percent, however, the appointing authority shall be the governor.
“Waay na problema. Ipa-review niya. Pasalamat gid ko na kon makita n’ya nga more than 75 percent ang concessionaries sa syudad,” said Defensor.
Espinosa believed MIWD now has more concessionaires in Iloilo City.
MIWD serves Iloilo City and the towns of Oton, Pavia, Santa Barbara, San Miguel, Leganes, Maasin, and Cabatuan in Iloilo province.
“It’s only a matter of determining (the number of concessionaires) but we (should) follow the legal process para indi kita mabasulan sang pumuluyo,” said Defensor.
Espinosa’s main concern was the city government’s apparent lack of voice in MIWD’s operations even if the water district was primarily created for Iloilo City.
“Nga indi man ma-disadvantage ang syudad,” said Espinosa. “Sa matrix nila kag mga charges, kita man gihapon iguon sina.”
According to Defensor, he did not ask for the authority to appoint MIWD directors.
“I have more problems to handle,” he said.
In July 21, 2011 then city mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog filed a civil case against the Local Water Utilities Administration to determine who had the authority to appoint MIWD directors.
Two years after, on September 2013, the power to appoint the members of the MIWD board shifted from the Iloilo City mayor to the Iloilo provincial governor. Judge Danilo Galvez of the Regional Trial Court affirmed the findings of the body he created to look into the number of active concessionaires of MIWD.
A fact-finding commission reported that the total number of concessionaires in Iloilo City as of April 30, 2013 was 21,130 or 66.14 percent of the total number of concessionaires in the entire MIWD coverage area, which was then at 31,948. The combined number of concessionaires from Cabatuan, Leganes, Maasin, Oton, Pavia, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara reached 10,818 or 33.86 percent of the grand total./PN
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