“After suffering from this kind of lowly treatment from COWD, we are hurtfully beginning to believe that we are really second-class residents.”

CAGAYAN DE ORO — Since the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) took over the government-owned Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) in May 2024, the internal dispute in the embattled water firm remains unresolved. In fact, the situation worsened after an alleged commotion took place in the water district office on April 16 following a court ruling ordering LWUA to halt its takeover.

While both the sidelined, interim management and policy-making body of COWD are clashing, water consumers continuously suffer insufficient water supply—low to no water connection in some parts of the city. It is a long-overdue problem they have faced even before LWUA’s full intervention.

A resident said that the water firm’s internal dispute should not affect consumers and that COWD should focus on providing adequate water supply. 

“Supply that is not only made available every 1 a.m. until 5 a.m. More than two years of suffering is too much. Our health, my health, is at stake with your incompetence,” said Fritzie Estoque, a resident of Barangay Bulua. “You’re killing us! Wake up, COWD!”

Estoque is just one of the many residents currently facing this struggle. Like many others, what angers her is the lack of prior advisory, leaving them to spend hours with no water supply.

Disputed debt

The COWD has been facing a disputed debt with its primary supplier, the Manny V. Pangilinan-controlled Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Incorporated (COBI), exceeding P400 million. This mostly consisted of the accumulated price difference when COBI implemented water rate adjustments as stipulated in their contract.

COBI increased its water rate in 2021 from P16.60 to P20.57 per cubic meter. In 2024, another adjustment was made, increasing COBI’s per cubic meter to P24.19.

However, the COWD did not acknowledge these water rate increases of COBI after it invoked the force majeure clause from their agreement in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With this, the COWD is still paying its supplier P16.60 per cubic meter.

The provision in the COWD-COBI agreement allowing the supplier to impose water rate adjustments every three years was called disadvantageous by critics. This prompted the Bantay Tubig Movement to submit a petition to the water district with signatures of over 17,000 water consumers, urging the latter to amend or rescind the contract.

On May 14, 2024, COBI decided to temporarily disconnect its water distribution to the COWD because of the debt dispute, affecting mostly villages of the first district. The city government was forced to do water rationing because of this. Later that day, a temporary restraining order was issued by a court to stop the disconnection.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited the city on May 16, 2024 for a distribution of assistance program where he instructed LWUA to study the possibility of taking over the COWD to address the issue.

In response, the LWUA Board of Trustees passed Resolution No. 34 the following day, approving the LWUA takeover of the water district. This was implemented on May 29, 2024, and LWUA appointed an interim general manager and interim members of the COWD board. 

The COWD’s regular general manager and members of the board were set aside. But they questioned the legality of the full intervention, asserting that it has no legal basis because the water district never defaulted in its loan obligation to LWUA, which is one of the grounds of the takeover.

The takeover which was supposed to last for only six months was extended twice.

Prioritize residents

Robert, a resident of Bolonsori, Barangay Camaman-an, went to COWD to complain when the alleged commotion happened. The incident occurred after a few unidentified individuals allegedly forcibly entered the water district’s employees entrance, which resulted in the breaking of the glass door.

He told reporters in an interview that they have been experiencing no water supply for five days already, urging COWD to set aside their internal conflict and prioritize their concerns.

Estoque said that staying awake at night to do laundry and to stock water is not an easy routine. The situation already affected their health. In addition, their expenses on water consumption went up as they were forced to use mineral water for bathing which is way more expensive.

“After suffering from this kind of lowly treatment from COWD, we are hurtfully beginning to believe that we are really second-class residents,” she said. (RTS, DAA)