Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 19) — Senator Robin Padilla on Monday lashed out at the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) for supposedly failing to restore clean water supply for most parts of Marawi five years since a bloody siege that leveled the city ended.
The siege rendered thousands of residents homeless, majority of whom are Filipino-Muslims.
“Sana maayos lang man po ito kasi napakahalaga po sa pananampalataya po namin. Limang beses naghuhugas para magdasal,” Padilla, an Islam convert, told the Senate hearing of the Special Committee on Marawi Rehabilitation.
[Translation: Hopefully, you can fix the water supply because it is very important in the practice of our faith. We wash ourselves five times a day to pray.]
He refused to accept the explanation of Rodney Peralta, LWUA’s focal person in Marawi, on the delay to bring back the water supply in the city.
“Itong (LWUA) na ito, noong 2022 binigyan sila ng napakalaking budget. Pero ngayong 2023 binawasan sila ng 98 percent. Siguro isang pagpatunay ‘yon na di nagtatrabaho ang mga ito,” Padilla told Peralta. “Hindi katanggap-tanggap sa akin ‘yan limang taon na. Kung ito kahapon lang, pwede ko matanggap pero nakikita ko ang paghihirap ng mga kapatid ko doon.”
[Translation: LWUA was given a huge budget in 2022. But for 2023, this has been slashed by 98 percent. I guess, it only proves that these people are not doing their jobs. This is unacceptable because it has been five years. If the siege had happened yesterday, then I might have considered your excuse but my fellow Muslims have suffered long enough.]
Peralta explained that the design for the “bulk water supply” project remains pending since the location where the water treatment plant and its reservoirs will be constructed has not been finalized. The project will tap into Lake Lanao as the city’s water source.
He added that negotiations with the Marawi City Water District and the Philippine Army on the project site for its main infrastructure have reached a deadlock.
According to Peralta, the Army, which manages the property on behalf of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, where the proposed water treatment plant and reservoirs will be put up, reportedly has set certain conditions which the local water utility firm had opposed.
“Nakabinbin po ngayon ‘yun. Ang consequences po nun, ‘yung aming contractor ng design and build contract, hindi po nila mai-finalize ‘yung design kasi po ‘yung site, ‘yung location ay hindi pa rin napapa-finalize,” he said.
[Translation: The proposal remains pending. As a consequence, the contractor of the project could not finalize the design since the site and the location remain unclear.]
“Ang sinasabi nyong problema, maso-solve ‘yan ng isang upuan kung gusto nyo po talaga. Ang nangyayari po ay turuan e,” a visibly irked Padilla told Peralta. “Ang tanong lang po dyan, gusto nyo po ba bigyan ng tubig ang mga tao sa Marawi?”
[Translation: If you’re determined in addressing these problems, you can solve these in just one sitting. What is happening here is finger-pointing. The question that needs to be answered, do you have plans of supplying water to the people of Marawi?”]
Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra, who has tried to mediate in the negotiations, also testified in the hearing, saying that the lack of an appointed LWUA chief who will be authorized to approved contracts, is also a factor why the project is not moving forward.
President Bongbong Marcos has yet to appoint a new LWUA administrator.
Special committee chair Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was unconvinced that project delay should be attributed to the absence of a LWUA chief.
“You had your administrator for the last five years. And yet, hindi ito naaksyunan (no action has been taken). So hindi ‘yan pwede na magiging rason na walang administrator (not having an administrator is not an excuse),” he said.
Dela Rosa will set another hearing to address other issues on the Marawi City rehab, as well as the compensation of residents affected by the 2017 siege.
