NANAWAGAN si Senador Grace Poe sa mga pinuno ng bawat ahensya ng pamahalaan na dumalo sa mga pagdinig ng Kongreso na may direktang kinalaman sa kanilang trabaho at serbisyo na ibinibigay sa taumbayan upang matiyak na hindi sila nagkukulang.
Ginawa ni Poe ang paalala sa pinangunahan nitong Senate public services committee hearing kaugnay sa prangkisa ng Maynilad Water Services Inc. at Manila Water Co. Inc. na hindi dinaluhan ni Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Chairman Reynaldo Velasco.
“We’ve had hearings in the past and there’s actually a law saying that whoever is the head of the department has the responsibility and the burden of response. It’s really difficult to be conducting these hearings at such a very important matter when your head of agency is not even present,” pahayag ni Poe sa hearing.
Binigyang-diin ni Poe na naiwasan ng bansa ang kakapusan ng suplay ng tubig noong nakaraang Summer dahil lamang sa pagbaba ng demand bunsod ng bumagal na takbo ng pagnenegosyo at iba pang economic activities at hindi dahil may mga nadiskubreng bagong source ng water supply.
“It would have been better if a member of the board was present here today to at least give legitimacy, and if not that, to show their actual endorsement and sincerity in approving this agreement,” paliwanag pa ni Poe.
Napag-usapan din ang pangamba kaugnay sa expiration ng revised concession agreement ng water concessionaires na itinakda sa 2037 at ang ipinapanukalang extension hanggang 2046.
“Paano na lang yan? Baka pagdating sa matters of importance, puro na lang OGCC (Office of the Government Corporate Counsel) ang ipadadala at hindi pa nila alam lahat ng nangyayari. We need to be able to thresh this out before we grant a franchise,” dagdag pa ni Poe.
“We want to make sure that there is certainty of contracts. It’s difficult to change goalposts in the middle of the game. Mahirap kung ‘di natin sinusunod ang mga napagkasunduan natin. Above all, must take into account the needs of our consumers,” diin ng senadora. (DANG SAMSON-GARCIA)
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