Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella yesterday called for a closure on the Bacolod City Water District issue as he appealed to two Baciwa directors, appointed by the previous administration, to step down.

“Let us put a closure to this and move forward,” he said, addressing his appeal to Board Secretary and director Marichi Ramos and chairman of the Board Lawrence Villanueva, whose term ends on December 31.

Puentevella said he is wondering why they are clinging on to their positions like “kapit tuko (lizards)” Ramos, however, snapped back that she believes a “tuko” is better than a “kapit tuklo (thief).”

She said her objective is only to protect Baciwa and its consumers by acting on what anomalies she has discovered in its management.

Puentevella yesterday announced that his nominee to the Baciwa Board is David Vilanueva, a civil engineer and former district governor of Rotary District 3850.

He said he will wait for the Local Water Utilities Administration to confirm the appointments of David Villanueva and Ramiro Garcia, as replacements for Lawrence Villanueva and Ramos, respectively.

Puentevella said if the present city administration has majority of the members of the Board, Baciwa could have better service.

Ramos said by appointing Villanueva, Puentevella did not follow the correct process for appointing a member of the Baciwa Board. She said David Villanueva was not in the list she submitted to the mayor.

The list of nominees should come from the Board Secretary based on P.D. 198, she said.

QUESTIONABLE?

She only submitted the name of chairman Lawrence Villanueva, who has complied with the requirements, because David Villanueva was only endorsed by the acting secretary of Rotary, and he had no biodata, Ramos said. Since he (David Villanueva) was not in the list, his appointment will be questionable, she also said.

Ramos said they will hold an emergency Board meeting tomorrow to take up the matter. She is not questioning the authority of the mayor, but the process to be followed, based on P.D. 198, she said.

Since she is not welcomed at the Bacolod City Government Center, she transmitted the list through LBC on November 15 and had another copy delivered personally by her assistant. So they cannot deny that she did not send the list, Ramos said.*CGS

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