Less than a week after his appointment as acting general manager of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), lawyer John DX Lapid informed those who appointed him from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) that he is quitting.
For Atty. Lapid, the straw that broke the camel’s back was when he was forced to lead a lockdown of the MCWD building last night, April 15, and entered the general manager’s (GM) office at the fifth floor with the use of an ATM card, looking for whatever they were looking for.
The lawyer said when they swooped inside MCWD premises, their delegation was well equipped; they even had two fire trucks and vehicles from the city disaster risk reduction management office.
“Mali na to. They’re doing something. They’re using me already,” Atty. Lapid told Gov. Gwen Garcia when he appeared before her at the Capitol on April 16.
He insisted that initially, he wanted to cooperate with LWUA as he recognized its jurisdiction over all water districts in the country. However, as things unfolded, he saw the bitter truth.
The meeting at the Capitol was attended by the beleaguered department heads and officials of MCWD, led by their chairman Atty. Jose Daluz III and GM Edgar Donoso.
The governor also called for the officials of the Police Regional Office 7, led by Deputy Regional Director for Operations PCol. Noel Flores; Armed Forces of the Philippines-Joint Task Group Cebu Commander Col. Erwin Lamzon; Bureau of Fire Protection regional director FCSupt Roberto Genave; Cebu City Police Office director PCol. Ireneo Dalogdog; Cebu Provincial Police Office director PCol. Percival Zorrilla; and Mandaue City Police Office director PCol Julius B. Sagandoy, among others.
Now that the controversy is over, with the acting GM quitting his designation, there is no more reason for the department heads and the board of directors of MCWD to be barred entry from their own offices and resume working to solve the current water crisis in Cebu.
“This is not a political show. This is as an assurance to our consumers that you can resume normal operations,” Gov. Garcia told the MCWD officials present. “What I am trying to avoid here is that there will be fear instilled in all Cebuanos. Kulang na tayo ng tubig, hindi pa kayo makapag-operate. You have to go back. Bring back that air of normalcy,” she added.
PRO 7 director PBGen Anthony Aberin already ordered the removal of barricades manned by city police in roads surrounding MCWD, allowing for the resumption of vehicular and pedestrian use.
Gov. Garcia also asked DILG regional director Leocadio Trovela, who was also at the meeting with provincial director Ian Lucero, to accompany the MCWD officials back to their offices and witness the conduct of a thorough inventory of MCWD facilities, documents, and resources.
PRO 7 personnel, as well as those from the AFP-JTG and BFP 7, are also requested to escort the MCWD officials to maintain peace and order.
Currently, MCWD is conducting normal operations, such as reception of payments, in their satellite office in Talamban, Cebu City. | IPA