Gastro outbreak aftermath: Water district’s board ousted

CEBU — The management of the controversial water district of Moalboal town changed hands the other day but it was not clear if that would give assurance that the gastroenteritis epidemic that recently struck the town due to a contaminated water supply, would not happen again.

At least four residents died and more than 400 others were hospitalized due to the outbreak which began last Nov. 23.

Ramon Alekpala, executive director of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), issued a two-page cease-and-desist order which was served by Moalboal police chief Juan Casipong on the management of the Moalboal Water District (MWD).

Alekpala said the water utility had been serving water to consumers without a permit, in violation of Article 3 of Presidential Decree 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines.

Alekpala’s order was in response to petitions of the provincial government and the municipality of Moalboal against the MWD in the wake of the gastroenteritis outbreak.

"Finding sufficiency of evidence to establish prima facie case, and in view of the urgency of the situation, the respondents are hereby ordered to cease and desist from further extracting water from its source, immediately upon receipt hereof," the order stated.

But the cease-and-desist order on the water utility’s management would have effectively shut down its operations and deprived the town of its water supply.

To avert the dire consequences of the order, Moalboal Vice Mayor Alex Pocong, who was supposed to be married at 2 p.m. last Friday, had to leave his bride waiting in church to preside over a special session of the town council in order to adopt a resolution authorizing Mayor Inocentes Cabaron to take over the MWD’s operations.

It took Pocong only five minutes to marshal the council into approving the resolution. After that, he rushed back to the church and his wedding proceeded smoothly.

A second resolution setting a new minimum water rate of P50 per month from the previous P90 was similarly approved.

The cease-and-desist order had to be served outside the MWD office because general manager Richard Sungcad was out when Casipong, together with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Cabaron, arrived.

Lawyer Serapio Gador, chairman of the MWD board, received the order in his office without any resistance.

The two other members of the board, Felix Palca and Vivencio Delgado, earlier tendered their resignations.

Cabaron, who has authority to appoint members of the board, asked for their courtesy resignations.

Garcia said the municipal government is empowered under Section 16 of the Local Government Code to take over the operations of the water system.

She said the provincial government will make an emergency purchase of a chlorinator, which costs P250,000, to ensure the safety of the local water supply.

A NWRB technical team is in Moalboal to assess the water system. Engineer Arlene Diaz has recommended that a flushing of the water reservoir down to the distribution lines be done immediately to ensure that there is no more contamination.

The Department of Health, in a series of laboratory tests in the aftermath of the epidemic, found the water samples positive for e-coli bacteria. — Freeman News Service