Tension rises as men forcibly enter Cagayan de Oro water firm’s office

DISPUTE. The glass door of Cagayan de Oro City Water District was torn down on Wednesday as the firm’s LWUA-appointed interim general manager allegedly forced his way in with the help of a group of men. PHOTO COURTESY OF MENZIE MONTES, i-FM CDO

ILIGAN CITY — Tensions rose as a group of men destroyed the glass door and barged into the building of Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) on Wednesday morning.

Several COWD employees told reporters that Fermin Jarales, the firm’s interim general manager, entered and went straight to the building’s second floor where he and the men, who tore down the door, had since been holed up.

The group had locked themselves up in the Office of the General Manager, according to the COWD employees.

As of this reporting, personnel from the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office and Special Action Force tried to negotiate with the men to open the door to the office.

The commotion happened two days after the Cagayan de Oro City Regional Trial Court Branch 41 ordered the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to cease intervening in COWD, which has gone on for almost a year.

The LWUA intervention led to its takeover of COWD operation, appointing an interim board of directors and Jarales as interim general manager.

In the ruling, Judge Jeoffre Acebido said there was no legal basis for LWUA to intervene in COWD’s internal affairs.

As a result of the court ruling, Edna Najeal, who was designated by the regular board of directors as acting COWD general manager, ordered on Monday to bar Jarales from the building’s second floor, allowing him only access to the ground floor which is generally open to the public. Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao

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