By RALPH JOHN MIJARES
ROXAS City — A former chair of the Metro Roxas Water District’s (MRWD) Board of Directors refuted the claim of former general manager Medardo Pestaño that he disapproved of an additional loan for MRWD’s improvement and expansion projects.
In fact, Carmen Andrade said, Pestaño signed a notice to acquire a loan of about P200 million.
“I have the record. Basi nalipat sya (Maybe he forgot),” Andrade said.
She said Pestaño was completely aware of the proposed additional loan, which had been presented during a Board meeting.
Pestaño earlier criticized MRWD’s acquisition of a P198-million additional loan in 2005.
On the contrary, MRWD information officer Dante Arcangeles recently said, it was only P193 million.
Pestaño had said the money should have been used to buy facilities that would stabilize water pressure instead of using it for “nonviable” projects.
Gonzalo Glen Delgado, the general manager, recently said MRWD’s improvement and expansion projects involved its transmission lines, distribution lines and reservoir.
In January 2000, MRWD acquired a P710-million loan from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).
The machinery that MRWD bought from the United States for its treatment plant in Sitio Paslang, Brgy. Salacon, Panitan town, was expensive because the value of peso as against the dollar dropped at the time, Andrade said.
Andrade, now a city government consultant for economic affairs, also said LWUA never took over MRWD.
A LWUA takeover was not necessary because MRWD was doing well, she said. Once, the water district had a P41-million net income in a year, she pointed out.
“Operation-wise, there is no reason for the takeover,” she said.
Andrade was MRWD’s Board of Directors chair from 1986 to 2005./PN
