Ganzon: Mabilog should appoint MIWD directors
Iloilo City Councilor Jeffrey Ganzon said yesterday the rightful appointing authority for directors of the Metro Iloilo Water District is no other than Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, as provided by the Local Government Code.
Ganzon, who is acting mayor in the absence of Mabilog, Vice Mayor Jose Espinosa and first Councilor Nielex Tupas who are all on official travel abroad, questioned the pronouncement of Local Water Utilities Administrator Daniel Landingin, stating that “Iloilo City was not able to garner more than 75 percent of the total service connections in the district’s area of coverage, and as such, the appointing authority of the expiring (directors) of MIWD shall be the provincial governor.”
The LWUA opinion was based on Section 3-B of Presidential Decree (PD) 198 as amended, which provides “that in the event that more than 75 percent of the total active service connections of a local water district are within the boundary of a city or municipality, the appointing authority shall be mayor or the city or municipality, as the case may be; otherwise, the appointing authority shall be the governor of the province within which the district is located.”
Ganzon, however, said P.D. 198 is in conflict with the Local Government Code which took effect in Jan. 1, 1992.
He cited Paragraph (f), Sec. 29 of Local Government Code that states “all general and special laws, acts, city charters, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, and administrative regulations, or part thereof which are inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Code are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.”
“We are sure that we are on the right track. It is debatable, but I find it legal for us based on the Local Government Code,” he said.
Ganzon added that Iloilo City, as charter city since April 29, 1955, is independent from the province.
“We will wait for the MIWD board of directors to decide which legal basis they will follow,” he said.
Earlier, Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. had expressed disinterest in having the power to appoint the MIWD directors.
Defensor then said the problem is not so much on who will appoint the MIWD directors, but on how to find solution to the lingering water supply problem in Iloilo City.*
