Duterte to MWSS, Manila Water execs: Shape up or ship out
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:20:45 +0000
President Rodrigo Duterte berated officials of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), Manila Water and Maynilad over the water shortage that affected millions of households in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Wednesday.
Panelo said the President was so outraged he told the officials to “shape up or ship out” during a 40-minute meeting in Malacañang on Tuesday night.
“The Chief Executive told them he was not going to listen to their explanation as to why there was a water shortage as such would be just plain excuses. They simply did not do their job,” Panelo said.
“The President told them they could have anticipated such shortage and could have done something about it,” he added.
Panelo said the President also threatened to terminate the concessionaires’ contracts during the meeting. MWSS officials were asked to submit a report before April 7.
“In a stern message delivered without even once looking at the officials, the obviously outraged President threatened to fire the MWSS officials and terminate the concessionaires’ contracts,” Panelo said.
“The meeting which was more of a presidential monologue lasting for about forty minutes abruptly ended by the President ordering the officials to submit a report on the water shortage before April 7, after which he will decide whether heads will roll or whether the contracts of the concessionaires will be terminated,” he added.
“He (Duterte) said the officials knew of the problem leading to the stoppage of the flow of water but they did not resolve to prevent it from happening,” Panelo said.
Panelo said Duterte warned the officials that he will not hesitate to take “swift and drastic actions” to shield the people from suffering.
Customers of Manila Water, the east zone concessionaire, endured days without water and had to line up to get their supply from water tanks. The water agency attributed the service interruptions to dwindling dam supply.
On Monday, Manila Water said service was back in 90 percent of its concession area. CATHERINE S. VALENTE
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