This city’s chief executive has requested the local legislative body to declare a “state of emergency” due to an unresolved contract dispute surrounding the city’s water supply.

On Wednesday, Mayor Rolando Uy signed Executive Order (EO) 196-2024 as a protective measure against the threat of the Cagayan de Oro Bulkwater, Inc. (COBI) to disconnect the city-run Cagayan de Oro Water District’s (COWD) water supply.

The problem stems from COBI’s demand for COWD to pay its outstanding balance of PHP479 million after failed negotiations.

Uy’s EO established an Incident Management Team to conduct a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis to determine the impact of the bulk water cutoff. It also created the Cagayan de Oro Special Task Force for Water Supply and Distribution.

The EO also requested the City Council to formally adopt the mayor’s recommendation to declare the city under a State of Calamity.

In a separate statement, COWD assured that the public water supply would remain stable and that the EO would safeguard consumers with the help of the local government.

Meanwhile, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has joined the mediation between COBI and COWD.

LWUA Chairman Ronnie Ong said he had conducted meetings on March 14, April 8, and April 25 to mediate and recommend action points between COWD and COBI.

“COWD only needed to achieve a quorum for their board meeting and come up with a board resolution, but they still failed to do so. This lack of sense of urgency in addressing the matter has resulted in a notice of disconnection from COBI,” he said.

He said both parties held a meeting on April 30, although it failed to resolve anything.

“We thought the meeting was successful when COWD agreed that they would acknowledge the balances owed to COBI, only to be told later that day that they could not urgently convene a board meeting for various reasons,” Ong said.

LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga said LWUA hopes the parties could reach an acceptable resolution to prevent the midnight disconnection.

“This (non-quorum of COWD) board members resulted in the Cagayan de Oro residents paying the high price of water supply loss and disconnection because of their own water district,” he said. (PNA)