After resignation, invalid appointment: MCWD board faces vacancies

CEBU, Philippines — Some seats in the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) Board of Directors (BOD) are once again facing vacancies and remain unfilled after one member’s appointment was deemed inconsistent, while another member’s resignation was confirmed by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).

This comes as LWUA declared vacancies in the Professional and Civic Sectors following the removal of one member and the resignation of another, respectively.

In a letter dated 22 October 2025, LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga formally wrote to the remaining BOD members of MCWD confirming that Lawyer Danilo Ortiz had resigned from his post. Records show that Ortiz was supposed to serve a term from 01 January 2023 to 31 December 2028, representing the Civic Sector.

In the same letter, Salonga directed the MCWD BOD, through its Board Secretary, to fill the vacancy in the Civic Sector and begin the solicitation process.

In another letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Freeman, dated 04 November 2025, Salonga wrote to Board Secretary Jodelyn May Seno declaring the post of another BOD member, lawyer John Rey Saavedra, who represented the Professional Sector, vacant. Saavedra was supposed to serve from 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2030.

According to Salonga, Saavedra’s appointment was found “not in order” due to the absence of proper solicitation and nomination documents. Thus, LWUA declared the Professional Sector vacant. In line with this, LWUA directed the MCWD board to fill the vacancy and begin the solicitation process pursuant to Section 12 of Presidential Decree 198, as amended.

In light of these changes, LWUA acknowledged that the remaining MCWD BOD members are Engineer Miguelito Pato for Business, who was also once appointed by then Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia as Chairman of the Board, lawyer Earl Bonachita for Education, and Seno for Women.

Archival ready to appoint

When sought for his reaction, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival admitted that the matter has not yet reached his office, that LWUA had declared the vacancies in the mentioned sectoral posts. Despite this, he said that should his authority as mayor be required to appoint replacements, he is ready to do so.

Archival said that, for the Professional and Civic Sectors, he already has names in mind that could be a good fit but refused to divulge them as he awaits formal communication from LWUA. Since Salonga’s letter did not indicate who is serving as Chairman of the Board, Archival said he would first have to study the scope of his appointing powers before coming up with a name to recommend for the post.

Currently, Metro Cebu, including Cebu City, is experiencing water supply disruptions due to damage incurred during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino. Archival admitted that it saddened him that the lack of BOD members may have affected the direction of the agency.

“Naguol ko ana nga sitwasyon cause ang nahitabo is nakuwangan og direction atong MCWD,” said the mayor. However, he said that, currently, he has good collaboration with MCWD in terms of operations, though not necessarily with the BOD.

MCWD, History of power struggle

The MCWD, despite being an autonomous entity, is no stranger to power struggles. Under previous administrations—from the late Mayor Edgardo Labella up to the term of former Mayor Michael Rama—its BOD has been the subject of legal disputes and questions regarding the authority of appointment.

This began when Lawyers Ralph Sevilla, Cecillia Adlawan, and Agustus G. Pe Jr., then MCWD BOD members, were removed from office by Labella, prompting years of legal debate over whether local chief executives have the authority to dismiss BOD members.

They were replaced by Chairman Jose Daluz III and two other members of the board, who later faced similar issues following their termination by Rama. This resulted in the installation of two sets of BOD members within MCWD and a series of interventions from LWUA.

On 17 December 2024, Garcia signed the appointment of Dr. Marlo Pil Maamo as a member of the BOD, supposedly replacing Ortiz in the Civic Sector.

In previous interviews before this appointment, Garcia admitted that he received a letter from MCWD stating that two members of the board were no longer attending or performing their duties. This pronouncement left vacancies in the posts of two other board members—Ortiz and Bonachita. — /RAE (FREEMAN)