Mayor steps into
Baciwa row

City Mayor Monico Puentevella yesterday stepped into the row rocking the Bacolod City Water District and asked the members of the warring members of the Board of Directors not to enter into the water firm’s premises pending the arrival here of the fact-finding team of the Local Water Utilities Administration.

My primary interest is peace and order and to prevent any untoward incident disrupting the peace and order of the city, Puentevella said.
           
He assured the members of the Baciwa Union and consumers that he was not acting on  personal ties with any member of the board, stressing that the more important consideration is the peace and order of the city.
           
The situation reached a boil last July 11, among  Baciwa directors lawyer Lorendo Dilag, Marichi Ramos, and chairman Lawrence Villanueva. The contending directors  were Naida Torre and Cecilia Henares.
           
On request by Mayor Puentevella, the LWUA board appointed effective July 4,  Alfredo Bayanin to replace  Yolanda Zaragoza.
           
The three directors immediately opposed Bayanin’s appointment and refused to recognize his presence at the first meeting on July 11. To stress their opposition, the three contending Baciwa directors filed with the Regional Trial Court a request for a temporary Restraining Order and with Preliminary Injuction.
           
Judge Rosario Ester Oreda – CAIFP set the hearing of the injunction case at 2 p.m.
on August 20.
          
Puentevella appeared at the Baciwa main office yesterday afternoon with the Bacolod Police chief, City Administrator Rolando Villamor and Public Relations Officer, Bong Dilag.
           
During his talk with the union members and the Baciwa executive officers, Puentevella recalled that he had never recognized Ms. Ramos as director. He recounted how the Philippine Professional Regulation  had earlier ruled that Ms. Ramos did not belong to the professional sector.
           
“Thus, from the very start, without my taking a position on the issue, I had never considered Marichi Ramos as a member of the Board. Since she had never been qualified as such.”
           
The situation came to a head when Friday, the three members of the board, all appointees of former City Mayor now Congressman Evelio Leonardia,  voted to suspend the general manager, Juliana Carbon
           
Last July 31, during the regular meeting of the board, the chairman immediately ruled not to recognize  Bayanin. The LWUA appointee was not allowed to participate in the meeting.
           
They passed resolution with only three of them approving to suspend Juliana B. Carbon as Baciwa general manager.
           
They had offered the proposal for Sammy Panado, the assistant manager to act as manager in place of Carbon. Panado, however, refused to accede to the offer.
           
The Baciwa Union, meanwhile, also interposed strong objections to the firing of Carbon.
           
Instead, pending resolution of the row among the board of directors, Puentevella said the alternative proposal he had submitted to Chairman Ibarra was for the LWUA to take over the management of the Baciwa.
           
General Manager Carbon, meanwhile, defied the order by the Baciwa board, contending that they lacked the required number of votes.
           
An interesting development was the alleged confusion among banks as to who could deposit and withdraw the deposits of the Baciwa.
           
Puentvella also asked the members of the Baciwa Union not to disturb the operation of the water firm.
           
“I will not allow any disruption of the peace and order of the city,” stressed the mayor.
           
In short, all the contending parties to the directorship must refrain from entering the premises of the Baciwa pending the arrival of the LWUA investigators and the definitive ruling by the LWUA board of directors on Thursday.*

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