MCWD board now complete

CEBU, Philippines — The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) Board of Directors is finally complete after Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival appointed Atty. Mariefel Resma Roble to represent the professional sector.

Roble’s appointment on January 12, 2026, capped months of uncertainty and governance disputes. Her appointment followed the earlier designation of Ruben Dimataga Almendras to the civic sector last December.

With these two appointments, the board now has five active members, restoring quorum and full sectoral representation as mandated under Presidential Decree 198.

The current lineup includes Engr. Miguelito Pato for the business sector, Atty. Jodelyn May Seno for the women’s sector, Atty. Earl Bonachita for the education sector, Almendras for the civic sector, and Roble for the professional sector.

There had been questions on Bonachita’s seat after he sided with former mayor Michael Rama, who attempted to form an alternate board, but the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) never declared his position vacant, according to the MCWD’s spokeswoman Minerva Gerodias.

LWUA did, however, declare the professional sector seat vacant in November 2025 after finding the appointment of Atty. John Rey Saavedra procedurally deficient.

When MCWD failed to initiate the required nomination process, Archival invoked Section 9 of PD 198 to appoint Roble directly, citing the need to avoid disruption in water service delivery.

Roble’s appointment was backed by the Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines, which issued a resolution and certification affirming her active membership and good standing. Roble also submitted sworn declarations confirming eligibility, including non-affiliation with government, absence of election ban coverage, and lack of kinship with the appointing authority.

Meanwhile, Almendras returned to the board with his experience as a former MCWD chairman and banker.

The completion of the board is expected to have far-reaching implications for Cebuano consumers. With quorum restored, MCWD can now approve contracts, pursue infrastructure projects, and address water supply challenges that have been exacerbated by governance paralysis.

The appointments of Almendras and Roble mark Archival’s effort to stabilize the utility, ensure compliance with LWUA directives, and reinforce the principle of sectoral representation.

For households and businesses in Metro Cebu, the move represents a turning point toward restoring confidence in the water district’s capacity to deliver essential services. This development is expected to close a turbulent chapter in MCWD’s governance and set the stage for renewed focus on the pressing issues of water supply, infrastructure expansion, and institutional accountability. — (FREEMAN)