LWUA extends interim management setup for CDO’s water district

COWD interim general manager Fermin Jarales (right) explains a point during a press cnference on Thursday. With him are interim board chairman Antonio Ramirez (middle) and board secretary Amelia Dela Rosa. ERCEL MAANDIG

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has extended by another six months the interim management running the financially distressed Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) here.

COWD interim general manager Fermin Jarales said the water regulator extended his services and that of five members of the interim board to allow a further cleanup of the financial mess uncovered by the Commission on Audit and an internal audit facilated by LWUA.

READ: LWUA takes over Cagayan de Oro water district

Jarales and other COWD interim officials were installed by LWUA in May this year to resolve several issues that hampered the delivery of potable water supply to at least 100,000 households in the city.

It was in compliance of a directive by President Marcos to fix the problems besetting COWD.

Jarales said the water utility had been bleeding from years of mismanagement, incompetence and gross neglect by its officials, resulting in the pileup of operational losses.

At present, at least half of COWD’s water production are not billed, mainly due to wastage from leaks of aging pipes as well as pilferage.

Add to this the poor collection efficiency as evidenced by dormant receivables of some P987 million, Jarales pointed out. He also lamented at a COA finding of 101 projects that were either unimplemented or unfinished despite the lapse of eight years, some of which could have addressed the problem of non-revenue water.

Interim board chair Antonio Ramirez said there is a need to address these issues to ensure sustained revenue generation for COWD.