By MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City — Four workers of Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) are candidates for interim general manager of Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa).
They are Renato Anyog, Rei Bernardo, Edwin Reyes, and Mario Macatangay, Vice Mayor Greg Gasataya disclosed yesterday.
The Board of Directors will select from among them. Their choice will be announced any time this week, he said.
Gasataya believes appointing an interim general manager will settle the ongoing power play at the water district.
The LWUA-appointee will temporarily take over the post from suspended General Manager Juliana Carbon.
Also, LWUA and Baciwa’s Board have come up with a “win-win” solution to the impasse at the water district, Board chair Lawrence Villanueva said in a local newspaper here.
During their recent meeting, LWUA chair Andres Ibarra agreed to appoint an interim general manager for Baciwa, Villanueva said.
In return, the Board acceded to Ibarra’s request to recognize their LWUA-appointed sixth member, he said.
“I could not refuse the (LWUA) administrator, who looked sincere and very open,” he said.
Villanueva said they also asked Ibarra to designate an officer-in-charge for their Finance and Accounting Department to “ensure that funds are properly disbursed and prior approval of the Board is sought before their release.”
Earlier, Claudio Salmo, president of Baciwa Employees Union, said Ibarra confirmed to him that LWUA has appointed Bayanin as the sixth Baciwa Board member.
According to Ibarra, Bayanin should be allowed to participate in the Board’s meetings, said Salmo, who visited the LWUA chair in his office last week.
Also, LWUA also recognizes Carbon as the general manager in spite of her suspension, Salmo said, quoting Ibarra.
Members of Baciwa’s Board are Villanueva (chair), Lorendo Dilag (vice chair), Marichi Ramos (secretary), Ma. Aida Torre, Cecilia Henares, and LWUA-appointee Alfredo Bayanin./PN
