THE replacement of Jose Daluz III as a member of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) board of directors took his oath at the water distributor’s main office in Cebu City on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
He is Ferdinand “Bong” Pepito, a lawyer.
When asked how confident he is about Pepito’s membership on the board, Daluz told reporters at the Cebu City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 9, he is “100 percent confident.”
He said Pepito was a classmate and his law partner.
“He has been with me for two, three decades already. I am confident that he will be an asset to the MCWD. In fact, he is not new to MCWD because he has already been a consultant of the water district,” Daluz said.
Background
Pepito, who is joining Miguelito Pato and Jodelyn May Seno on the board, is a former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu chapter and a financial consultant of the Cebu Provincial Government.
The lawyer was endorsed by the IBP to represent the professional sector on the MCWD board.
Daluz said the three board members will choose who will be the new chairman, vice chairman and secretary on Thursday, Oct. 10.
According to Daluz, it is now up to Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia to choose who will fill the two remaining seats on the board of directors.
On Monday, Oct. 7, Garcia said former councilors Gerardo Carillo and Carlo Maamo were endorsed to his office, following the endorsements of Yvonne Gomos and Pepito.
Garcia emphasized the need to appoint new MCWD board members, as only two members — Pato and Seno — remain after Daluz resigned on Sept. 30.
Daluz is Garcia’s running mate, vying for the vice mayor’s post in the midterm elections.
Without additional appointments, the board cannot function due to the lack of a quorum. A quorum must be formed with at least three members present for any board meeting to proceed.
Pato’s contract will expire in December. / JPS
