Tension erupted after several men entered the Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) forcibly on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, a few days after a local court ordered the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and its appointed interim officials to stop intervening in the management of the water utility firm.
Operations halted when the men forced their way in, and even broke the glass door.
According to some witnesses, the men were alleged staff members of interim general manager Fermin Jarales.
“Ambot unsa iyang intention ngano nisulod siya nga pwersado man gyud ang pagsulod niya dinhi. Among mga security guard nasamad tungod sa ilang gibuhat,” COWD Officer, Vanessa Chu, said.
Later, the men went down from the office of the interim general manager and brought several documents to Jarales’ car, which was parked outside the building.
Some employees of the water district blocked the car to prevent them from leaving.
Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) Director, Col. Salvador Radam, stepped in and decided to keep the documents while dialogue is ongoing.
In a statement, Jarales denied he ransacked the COWD office.
Jarales claimed that the general manager, Engr. Edna Najeal, and her group were the ones who allegedly entered his office forcibly on April 15 and took some documents that are important to the company.
“There are too many anomalous actions which Najeal and company are deathly afraid of, including questionable transactions which have been uncovered by the interim management, thus they are exerting force to secure themselves,” Jarales said.
Jarales maintained that the decision of the court directing the LWUA to cease and desist from taking over the COWD is not yet final and executory.
“We are supposed to be in status quo and LWUA is still the rightful authority to take lead in COWD until a final judgment is handed. This intervention is a mandate of the national government that we need to fulfill to ensure that Kagay-anons will not again suffer due to the mismanagement and incompetence of Najeal and the set-aside board,” Jarales said.
In a 36-page decision dated April 8, 2025, Branch 41 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) granted the petition for prohibition filed by Najeal, Dr. Gerry Caño, and former COWD general manager, Engr. Tony Young, against LWUA for taking over the management of COWD in June 2024.
The court ordered LWUA to cease and desist from implementing further the resolution adopted by its board of trustees, which mandated full intervention in the operations and management of COWD through an interim board of directors and interim general manager.
“Accordingly, respondent Local Water Utilities Administration, its administrator, officers, board of trustees, agents, representatives, including its appointed interim board of directors and interim general manager to the Cagayan de Oro Water District, and all persons acting for, together with, or in LWUA BOT Resolution 34, Series of 2024 are hereby ordered to cease and desist from its full intervention in and take over of the policy-making functions, operations, and management of Cagayan de Oro Water District, as well as from performing any other acts that would have similar effects,” reads part of the decision.
“Kanang cease and desist order usually effective immediately kana ug tungod effective immediately kana, wala ta’y pasudlon nga mga interim officials ug kana base sa kamanduan. Ato nang gipasabot ang management nga wala na’y ipasulod nga interim officials gawas kung mosulod sila ug magbayad sa ilang water bill, wala kana kuwestiyon,” Caño, a member of the COWD board of directors, said.
It can be recalled that LWUA took over the management of COWD a day after President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. ordered the agency to solve the conflict between COWD and its bulk water supplier, Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water, Inc. (COBI).
