LWUA takeover of Cebu water district

March 16, 2024

The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) is taking steps to address the impending water crisis caused by the El Niño phenomenon by assuming control of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD).

According to Ronnie Ong, LWUA’s chair, this move aims to mitigate the losses that MCWD has incurred over recent years. Ong highlighted significant losses, with MCWD reporting 20.34 million cubic meters (cu. m) in 2020, followed by 24.542 million cu. m in 2021, and 29.481 cu. m in 2022.

“We are implementing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive in response to El Niño. MCWD serves numerous communities, including four highly urbanized cities and four municipalities,” Ong emphasized.

Ong attributed losses due to non-revenue water to aging pipelines, mismanagement, and inadequate system upgrades.

The takeover, effective as of Friday, also aims to address concerns regarding three projects totaling PHP235 million, flagged by the Commission on Audit for procurement law violations.

In a separate announcement, LWUA stated that its Board of Trustees, led by Ong, approved Board Resolution No. 35, allowing for LWUA’s partial intervention in MCWD for a six-month period. This intervention includes the appointment of an Interim Board of Directors for MCWD by LWUA’s management, overseen by newly appointed administrator, Jose Moises Salonga.

For additional information and further reading, refer to the original article here.