BY CRIS DIAZ
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: Displaced officials of the Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) are backed to their offices, a month after the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a legal opinion about the intervention of the Local Water Utility Administration (LWUA) on the COWD’s operation.
In an interview with the Mindanao Daily News on Friday, Antonio Young, COWD Gen. Manager, said that he reported to the General Manager’s office Thursday afternoon.
“I have to hire key masters because LWUA’s Interim General Manager destroyed and replaced the lock of my office,” Young said.
He said that he reported to his office because the LWUA’s interim officials have already abandoned the COWD since last week.
LWUA issued a Memorandum Order to COWD for a full intervention in the operation of the water district on allegation that the COWD failed to settle financial obligation with the bulk water supplier.
The COWD’s Board of Directors sought the legal opinion of the Department of Justice (DOJ) about LWUA’s full intervention on the ground that the water district has not defaulted its loan obligation with the LWUA.
In its legal opinion dated June 18, 2024, the DOJ cited the provisions of Presidential Decree 198 as amended that LWUA could only take over the operations of the local water district if the later defaulted its financial obligation with LWUA.
Armed with the DOJ’s legal opinion, the COWD asked the LWUA to lift the full intervention order citing smkng others that the COWD has not defaulted payments of its loan with the LWUA.
LWUA has yet to issue the lift order of the six month full intervention of the COWD, but all of LWUA’s appointed interim Board of Directors and Interim General Manager no longer report to the COWD since last week, Young said.
“As the regular General Manager, I have to takeover managemen and operations of the COWD otherwise, I could ve charged with dereliction of duty,” Young said.
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