LWUA names Jarales as interim GM of COWD
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Local Water Utility Administration (LWUA) on Wednesday installed Fermin Jarales as the interim general manager (GM) of the Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD).
Jarales, the political adviser of Misamis Oriental Gov. Peter Unabia, was accompanied by personnel from LWUA at the COWD to formally assume his new post past noon Wednesday.
Armed with a letter signed by LWUA corporate board secretary Julius Paolo Basa dated May 29, 2024, Jarales also announced the “full intervention” of LWUA to COWD’s operations for six months, effective immediately.
The full intervention is to implement the approved LWUA’s board of trustee’s resolution dated May 17 for the complete interim takeover of the COWD.
Early Wednesday morning, LWUA Chairman Ronnie Ong paid a courtesy call to Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy, informing the city executive of the temporary takeover of the city’s water district.
With the enforcement of the full intervention, the COWD board of directors and the general manager will cease to function following the LWUA’s appointment of the interim board of directors and the interim general manager.
The names of the new members of the interim general manager and members of the board of directors were released Wednesday afternoon. They are Noel Bacal, Donn Kapunan, Amelia de la Rosa, Antonio Ramirez and interim GM Fermin Jarales.
On May 17, the LWUA board of directors passed Resolution 34 for a full takeover of COWD as an offshoot of the water supply crisis in Cagayan de Oro City that resulted from its debt dispute with a bulk water supplier.
The Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Inc. said COWD owed them P426 million and has threatened to cut off water supply if the debt is not paid in full.