MWSS chairman Velasco steps down

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) chairman and administrator retired general Reynaldo Velasco on Thursday stepped down from his post to seek a Congressional seat in Eleksyon 2022.

In a statement, the MWSS said Velasco formally ended his stint at the water agency on September 30, 2021.

The agency said the outgoing chairman and administrator “will be busy with the Philippine National Police Retirees Association, Inc. (PRAI) which is seeking a seat at the House of Representatives in the May 2022 elections.”

“He is the number one nominee of PRAI, an organization working for the benefit and welfare of all retired men and women in the uniformed service of the PNP and their dependents,” the MWSS said.

Velasco will be replaced by incoming administrator Leonor Cleofas while the chairman of the board post will be taken by Justice Jose Ricafort Hernandez.

During Velasco’s stint at the helm of the MWSS since 2017, the agency “moved up the ladder” among government-owned corporations, with its category upgraded from Level C to Level B, the agency said.

“Among 84 GOCCs assessed, MWSS ranked 59th in 2016, 38th in 2017, 34th in 2018, and 29th in 2019,” it added.

Under Velasco’s leadership, the MWSS said it remitted a total of P1.512 billion to the national government treasury in the form of dividends from 2017 to 2019.

From 2016 to 2020, the agency said the population it served increased by 8.41% or 1.317 million more customers.

“Households with direct access to water increased by 9% from 3.89 million in 2017 to 4.15 million households as of April 2021,” the MWSS said.—LDF, GMA News