Capitol comes to waterless CICC’s rescue

A TANKER from the Cebu provincial government has been providing water to the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) after the Mandaue Realty Corp. (Mareco) cut off the facility’s water supply last Friday.

Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale said she ordered the immediate deployment of the Capitol’s tanker to ensure that the CICC will not be inconvenienced by the water service interruption.

“Maybe they  heard that we are scouting around  for a cheaper supplier,” Magpale told the reporters after she emerged from a meeting of the CICC Management Board.

The tanker delivers water twice a day. The water is drawn from barangay Opra in Cebu City.

The CICC Management Board wants to close a deal with a new water supplier in two weeks.

Cebu Daily News learnt that Mareco was charging P60 per cubic meter prompting management to look for other suppliers like Pilipinas Water and Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD).

Lawyer Dara Acusar, spokesperson of the Office of the Governor, said the water supplier offered a much lower rate of about P58 per cubic meter rate while Pilipinas Water initially quoted P47 which was further reduced to P45 after Capitol officials sought a much lower rate.

“The lower the better kay mao mana amoang gipangita,” Acusar said.

(The lower the better since that’s what we are after.)

Acusar said they have asked Pilipinas Water to further reduce their offer rate to P38 which is reportedly on a par with the rate they are giving the nearby Parkmall.

“If they are giving our neighbor P38, we are hoping that they can give us the same rate,” she said. /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos Reporter