The recall of Mayor Jed Mabilog

Hole of Justice

By Peter G. Jimenea

The recall of Mayor Jed Mabilog

The signature gathering campaign of Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is for the abolition of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD). This is a bad dream. City residents are not that dumb to miss the motive behind this rush to get one hundred thousand signatures for the purpose.

This plan to privatize the MIWD by a group of businessmen in the city, is to control the distribution of water among commercial, industrial and residential consumers. It started since 2008 yet, but perhaps, due to intervention of God, it did not push through.

God knows we need water production, not distribution. It is an inherent right of all living things on earth to have their share of water for free. Yet, our unscrupulous businessmen and corrupt local leaders who cannot resist the temptation of greed still want to bleed us in exchange for their souls to hell.

The water district is sick due to power-play between the Board of Directors and the management. But look, members of the board were hired not on managerial capability but merely on political expediency. So charges and counter-charges continue coming in and out of office which led to the dysfunction of the water district’s maintenance and operation.

As the city and metropolitan Iloilo were not properly served with seventy five (75%) percent of water connections,  the Local Water Utilities Administration (LUWA) declared that under PD 198, the rightful appointing authority for members of the board of directors is the governor, not the mayor.

The case was elevated to the Court of Appeals CA, which eventually upheld the stand of LUWA and all appointees of the city mayor were stripped of the title. Thus, Mayor Mabilog decided that rather than lost grip in the MIWD, it is better killed!

The campaign of Mayor Mabilog started soon for a one hundred thousand signatures. But this is only for his will to be done. He wants MIWD to rest in peace, forgetting that he has made prior remarks never to interfere again in the problem of the water district.

This propelled Atty. Romeo Gerochi to remind him that forgetfulness is the death of friendship. Dipping his finger again in MIWD problem destroyed his credibility as a man of words. Mayor Mabilog is already in the pot but jumps into the fire!

Atty. Gerochi’s recall campaign is now snowballing and taking its toll on the integrity of the mayor. In the recent survey on the air conducted by a radio station in the city, on the very first day, only 15 agreed for the abolition of MIWD but 400 are in favor of the mayor’s recall. This is not good for the heart of Mayor Mabilog.

If we try to analyze the effect of this campaign to Cong. Jerry Trenas and Vice Mayor Joe Espinosa, this is favorable to them. It is widely believe that they may even join Atty. Gerochi to get the target signatures for the mayor’s recall.

The same is true with former DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Sr.  The man has still loyal followers who may willingly sign for the recall of the mayor. This is a fast-moving campaign while that one for the abolition of MIWD is dragging. This is a tragedy. It endangers the integrity of Mayor Mabilog to become the last casualty!

Once the target number of signatories is met, regardless of the Comelec’s refusal to hold an election for lack of funds, the effect of successful recall is already a hounding issue that can put the political future of the young mayor in peril.

Whoever gives this idea to the mayor to start a signature campaign to kill rather than cure the sick water district is stupid. MIWD should be treated to survive, not to be killed just to get even with LUWA and the Court of Appeals which only abide with the rule of law - the rule of the right!

They who defied LUWA’s memo as to the rightful signatory for appointment of the Board of Directors must have been enlightened now. Lex fori –  a traditional notion that in the field of conflict of laws as a general rule, the law of the place where the case is tried should govern. Well, I hope to have made your day in this column, you ask for it, unlike me who ask others to make my day!