MALOLOS CITY—Concessionaires of the local water district here are bracing for water shortage while challenging its general manager to resign in a petition letter they are circulating.
This came as their complaints reached boiling point after “years of ineffective service” by the City of Malolos Water District (CMWD) highlighted by shortage of water supply even after the onset of the rainy season.
In a one-page petition letter being circulated and already signed by hundreds of disgusted concessionaires, the petitioners cited the hardship they have to endure for years. The petition states, “Ilang taon na po kaming pinapahirapan ng sitwasyon ng kawalan ng tulo ng tubig sa gripo, hindi mainom na tubig at mataas na water reading sa kabila ng wala namang regular na serbisyo ng tubig.”
They further said, “kami po ay nagpupuyat pa ng madaling araw sa pag-iigib ng tubig sa gripo na napakahina ng tulo. Sawa na kami sa mga pangako ng pamunuan ng water district na ‘aaksyunan, aaksyunan’ ngunit wala naman talaga silang konkretong solusyon dito.”
With this grievance, concessionaires challenged CMWD General Manager Nicasio Reyes to immediately resign.
They noted water district’s main duty which is to provide “affordable, potable and accessible water.” Concessionaires like Romeo Ramos and Romy Santos said that in almost all three criteria for delivery of services the CMWD failed.
For his part, Mayor Christian Natividad lamented increasing problem faced by the CMWD saying he cannot do much because water districts are government- operated and -controlled corporations (GOCC).
However, the mayor said that he is ready to lend a hand by organizing a “Water Summit” before the end of the year.
He said that they are now mobilizing health personnel along with barangay health workers (BHWs) in distributing questionnaires that will be used gathering baseline data that will be consolidated and serve as basis for possible solution.
“When it comes to potable water distribution, it’s the problem of the CMWD, pero apektado rin ang city government dahil constituents namin ang kanilang concessionaires,” he said. Natividad said water shortage problems might affect possible entry of investors and other businessmen in this city.
“We always aimed for competitiveness of Malolos as an investment destination to provide more job opportunities, kaya kailangang i-address namin itong problema sa tubig,” he said. Water shortage is usually felt in this city during summer months, but this time it has extended well into the rainy season.
Last summer, officials of the CMWD took turns in explaining that ground water in the city has dropped due to lack of rain fall. They then said that by June, usually the start of the rainy season, ground water would be replenished.
This, however, turned out to be a dud as concessionaires from different villages complained of low water pressure or no water supply at all.
