Senator Bato Dela Rosa, the chairperson of the Senate Special Committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation and Victims Compensation, sees a much faster implementation of the bulk water project component of the Marawi City rehabilitation program.
This developed as the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and the Philippine Army (PA), two of the implementing agencies of the water project, have broken the impasse and paved the way for the fast-tracking of the project.
“I just talked with our very supportive General Romeo Brawner, who is here with us…he will be allowing now the final moving on of the project within the Philippine Army camp because that is where our bulk system, our bulk water project is,” Atty. Vicente Homer Revil, LWUA’s newly-appointed administrator, told the committee during the hearing recently.
Brawner, commanding general of the PA, said the water tank will be placed at the highest peak of the army camp in Barangay Kapantaran or the old city hall, which will house a battalion, while the LWUA water treatment facility will be constructed at the lower area of the camp.
In September last year, in a similar hearing, the panel noted that the bulk water project could not proceed because of some misunderstandings between LWUA and the PA, including the demand of the PA for a free water supply to the camp and the lack of an administrator of LWUA.
With the conflict already settled, as well as with the appointment of Revil, there is a need now to have a tripartite agreement between LWUA, PA, and the local water district of Marawi City with a possible lease agreement that gives the army a 25 percent discount.
“Okay na tayo diyan. Mabilis na iyan.”
“Okay na tayo diyan. Mabilis na iyan. Hindi na tayo makarinig ng problema diyan na sabihin na bumagal dahil ganito, ganoon, ganoon,” Dela Rosa said.
“We will now move on with the survey and with the construction. And also, itutuloy na po natin iyong agreement between the Philippine Army, LWUA and the Water District of Marawi City, Your Honors,” Brawner told the committee.
The army chief said they are now awaiting the authority of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for the expropriation cases since not all the lands to be made part of the camp are expropriated.
“Kahit na hindi pa po nabayaran yung ibang mga may-ari ng lupa, we can go on already with the construction.”
“I understand na mayroon na pong letter from the OSG giving us that authority, so kahit na hindi pa po nabayaran iyong ibang mga may-ari ng lupa, we can go on already with the construction, Mr. Chairman, Your Honors,” Brawner stressed.
Dela Rosa asked Atty. Michael Pio Cua, OSG State Solicitor, during the hearing to give Brawner’s concern the utmost attention.
“Yes, please, bigyan ninyo ito ng topmost priority kung pupuwede sana kasi importanteng-importante ito para mabilis. Bilisan lang natin,” the legislator told Cua.
