Mabilog names 2 MIWD directors; ousted officials return to boardroom
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has appointed the two directors who will sit in the Metro Iloilo Water District board starting January 1 despite the earlier pronouncement of the Local Water Utilities Administration that he is no longer an appointing authority.
Mabilog said yesterday he has re-appointed Engr. Adrian Moncada, who is a technical person, and named Jessica Salas, whom he described as an authority on water, to succeed Bernadette Castellano, whose term will expire on Dec. 31, 2010, along with Moncada.
The LWUA had earlier declared that Mabilog can no longer appoint the MIWD directors as “Iloilo City was not able to garner more than 75 percent of the total service connections in the district’s area of coverage.”
As such, the appointing authority of the expiring directors of MIWD shall be the provincial governor, in this case, Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr.
Back to the Board Room
Also yesterday afternoon, the directors led by Celso Javelosa earlier ousted upon the order of LWUA reported to their office after the MIWD after Regional Trial Court Branch 23 Judge Eduardo Catilo ordered their reinstatement.
Late last month, Catilo issued a 20-day temporary restraining order on the interim MIWD directors, who replaced the five appointed directors, directing them to cease and desist from exercising their duties and functions as a board.
The interim Board, composed of Emmanuel Malicdem, chairman; Hermilo Balucan, vice chairman; Enrique Gita, Atty. Romeo Gerochi and Jessica Salas, as members, were appointed by the LWUA last November 15 after it declared the appointments of the incumbent directors null and void.
Aside from Javelosa, whose term is until 2012, other reinstated directors are
Castellano, Moncada, Sergio Gonzalez and Danilo Encarnacion, whose terms will end in 2014 yet.
Javelosa and his fellow directors entered the MIWD premises at around 4:30 p.m. yesterday, accompanied by the sheriff of RTC Branch 23.
“It’s been almost one month since we’ve been ousted. To be back, its nice,” he said.*NLG
