CEBU CITY—Operations at the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) were hampered following a standoff between the existing board members and the interim board appointed by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).
Tension rose on Monday, April 15, when lawyer John DX Lapid, who was appointed by LWUA as office-in-charge general manager of MCWD, was prevented from entering the MCWD building upon the order of the existing BOD headed by chairman Joey Daluz and general manager Edgar Donoso.
LWUA had implemented a partial takeover of MCWD last March 15 supposedly to start an investigation on alleged anomalies hounding the MCWD operations.
MCWD disclosed that around 10 p.m. on Monday, Lapid and some personnel of the Cebu City Hall “unlawfully entered the MCWD main building, harassing security personnel and forcibly gaining access and severely impeding our ability to deliver essential services.”
“The MCWD vehemently condemns the brazen actions of the LWUA, interim board of directors, Cebu City Hall and lawyer John DX Lapid for their atrocious disruption of our services,” the MCWD said in a statement.
The MCWD said “the invasion of our office has instilled confusion and fear among our employees.”
Because of the incident, MCWD consumers were advised to refrain from visiting the office and instead settle their bills through the agency’s collection centers.
Disconnection of accounts were also suspended “until further notice.”
The MCWD said it will “pursue all available avenues, including legal recourse, to restore normal operations at our main office and hold those accountable for these acts of chaos and disruption to the extent of the law.”
Past 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16, Lapid resigned as OIC general manager of MCWD.
“I want to have peace. My family is affected already with all that is happening. I am stressed. I am being used for politics already,” Lapid said in a Facebook post.
Some consumers also held a protest rally outside the MCWD main office where they called for the resignation of Daluz.
The Cebu Provincial Board has also passed a resolution expressing its support to the BOD headed by Daluz.
The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Cebu chapter has also released a manifesto supporting Daluz and Donoso.
“We stand firmly behind the current MCWD leadership. Chairman Jose Daluz III, Board Members Miguelito Pato and Jodelyn May Seno, and General Manager Edgard Donoso have the full support and confidence of our communities,” part of the manifesto read.
Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia and some mayors of Cebu have also expressed support for Daluz.