CEBU CITY – The Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) emphasized that it is “stable” and operating “under normal conditions.”
“There is no looming water shutdown, no financial collapse, and no basis for alarm,” the agency said in a statement on Friday, Aug. 8.
The clarification was issued after Cebu City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña urged the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to replace the entire board of MCWD.
Osmeña raised of issues of alleged mismanagement and corruption that could lead to a water crisis in Metro Cebu.
His tirade against the MCWD came a few days after Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. tapped him as the city’s “water czar.”
“I sent a letter to LWUA for a revamp of the Board of Directors of MCWD. There are all kinds of anomalies that I hear about. Even if we get to the bottom of that, it doesn’t mean they’re solved,” Osmeña said.
The vice mayor accused the MCWD of being in dire financial situation that will result in failure to pay its bulk water suppliers.
“Our water suppliers will not be paid, so they will cut off the water. This is not a laughing matter. It has been so mismanaged,” he said.
Osmeña also accused the water utility of paying “overpriced” rates for water but is struggling to collect revenues and reduce non-revenue water losses.
“Very clearly, something is wrong. And very clearly, there are major signs of corruption,” he said. “I think they should all be put before a firing squad, including the managers. It’s gone out of control.”
The MCWD said steps such as pipeline expansion, pressure management, and the development of new sources have been taken to improve the water supply especially in in high-altitude or remote barangays.
MCWD added that production capacity has grown from 234,816 cubic meters per day in 2020 to 323,958 cubic meters in 2025, an increase of more than 89,000 cubic meters daily, and is projected to reach 400,000 cubic meters within three years.