Police team monitors MIWD security
The Iloilo City Police Office has deployed a team to the premises of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) to defuse a possible tension between the management led by general manager Le Jayme Jalbuena and the directors who were earlier ousted by the Local Water Utilities Administration.
Supt. Eugenio Espejo, assistant city director, said both parties – the management and the board – requested for police security to supervise the situation at MIWD especially when the ousted board was blocked by the management from hold a meeting at the MIWD office since last week.
The ousted directors are Adrian Moncada, Sergio Gonzalez, Bernadette Castellano, Celso Javelosa, and Danilo Encarnacion.
They were replaced by Emmanuel Malicdem, as interim Board chairman; Hermilo Balucan, vice chairman; and Atty. Romeo Gerochi, Jessica Salas, Enrique Gita, as members.
Malicdem’s group was appointed by the LWUA on November 15 after it declared the appointments of the incumbent directors null and void.
However, early this week Regional Trial Court Branch 23 Judge Edgardo Catillo issued a 20-day Temporary Restraining Order on the interim Board.
Despite the TRO, Javelosa’s group is reportedly being prevented from entering the MIWD building by the management.
Espejo said the police team has been stationed at the MIWD during office hours since Monday.
“We are just there for police visibility and on call any time if there is a problem,” he said.*
