MAYOR CRISTINA administering the Oath of Office to the newly appointed members of LMWD Board of Directors (R-L) Atty. Bautista Corpin, Engr. Roberto Munoz, Atty. Jenny Lyn Manibay and Atty. Sharilee Angela Gaspay.(Photo by Tim Canes/CMO)

TACLOBAN CITY (CIO) – Monday, December 11, Mayor Cristina Romualdez administered the Oath of Office of the newly appointed Members of the of Directors of the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD).

The appointments were made after the Supreme Court handed down a decision declaring Presidential Decree 198 unconstitutional.  Such a decree mandated that an LGU that has 75% of water consumers of a Water District has the authority to manage the agency.

However in a case elevated to the Supreme Court declared P.D. 198 unconstitutional – ruled that a City – Highly Urbanized – chartered – component that does not vote for provincial officials need only 51 percent of the total number of water consumers to have the authority to manage the Water District.

In 2014 LMWD in a written and published report stated that 67.5 percent of LMWD water consumers are in the City of Tacloban.  Since this percentage is way over the mandated number – the City Government has now the legal right to assume management of LMWD.

Pending ratification of the new appointments by the Local Water Utilities Administration – the new Board will not yet physically take over LMWD but is preparing a Financial and Physical Audit of this Water District.

In reply to a letter of Mayor Romualdez to the LMWD General Manager, Mr. Pastor Homeres to supply water to the new resettlement areas in Tacloban North, Mr. Homeres said LMWD cannot do so due to a 41 percent systems loss – loss from leakages in their pipes.

Since Taclobanons have been suffering from water shortage for the past ten years – the City Government has deemed it necessary to initiate steps to solve this water problem in the City by taking over management of LMWD by legal means.