(STORY 2)
Background: Balilihan embarks on a waterworks project
Balilihan has embarked on a water project known as the “Balilihan Centralized Bulk Water Supply” based on the 25-year water master plan. The plan was competed in 2018.
The objective of the master plan is to provide water to all 31 barangays of Balilihan as the mayor admitted that the major problem of the town remains to be water. Ironically, the mayor stated that the town is blessed with several water sources waiting to be tapped.
The LGU proceeded with its goal of building a waterworks system based on the master plan after getting funding from the national government in 2019. The LGU started the project by applying for a conditional water permit (CWP) before the National Water Resources Board (NWRB). The LGU’s water source is the Bugwak Spring.
The CWP allows the LGU to build the waterworks project. When the project gets fully developed then the LGU can obtain a water right from the NWRB.
The progress of the project was on track until an email surfaced and it was dated Sept. 30, 2020. The email message came from “Richard father or Rex Christian Lim”. The email was addressed to the DPWH and it reads: “Pls. stop now your workers trespassing at our lot in Bugwak Spring Barangay Sto. Niño Balilihan Bohol. You didn’t ask our permission putting pipes.” This email message was sent by the Richli camp to then DPWH-1 district engineer Francis Flores.
On Oct. 5, 2020, a formal letter was obtained by LGU Balilihan reiterating the warning of the private investor, Richli Water, to remove the pipes of the waterworks project of Balilihan from the lot allegedly owned by Richli Water. Interestingly, the lot allegedly owned by Richli and purchased by the said company is adjacent to a barangay road.
Mayor Pureza Chatto narrated that on Oct. 14, 2020, LGU officials had a dialogue with personnel of Richli Water. On Oct. 20, 2020, the LGU received a letter where Richli Water expressed thanks to the town government for the dialogue that took place on Oct. 14, 2020.
Richli Water mentioned in the said letter that the company is willing to participate in a public bidding to provide water supply to Balilihan. The company is offering to lay 5 kilometers of pipes connecting the company’s water treatment plant in Cortes to the water tanks of the LGU. The company promised to complete the connection in 60 days if ever they will win in the bidding.
Richli Water said that it plans to source the water supposed to be supplied to Balilihan from barangay Patrocinio, Cortes at a special rate which was not mentioned by the mayor during the press conference.
A few days later, the DPWH furnished LGU Balilihan a copy of NWRB’s order that there is a petition to cancel Balilihan’s CWP. It was Richli Water who filed the petition on Oct. 5, 2020. Furthermore, the LGU received a notice from NWRB that there is a CWP application filed by Richli Water for Bugwak Spring in barangay Sto. Niño, Balilihan dated Oct. 6, 2020.
In other words, Richli Water filed a petition for the cancellation of Balilihan’s CWP on Oct. 5, 2020 and on Oct. 6, 2020 Richli Water filed a CWP application for Bugwak Spring located at barangay Sto Nino, Balilihan.
This prompted the mayor to ask: “Kinahanglan ba nila babagan ang among panubig sa Balilihan?”
“So when they [Richli Water] came to us for a dialogue, which we thought will be a settlement discussion, they actually came, not in good faith. Nagtoo mi nga magsinabtanay mi adtong dialogue. Pero based dinha, naa na diay sila gihimo nga lakang nga mokansela sa among water permit,” the mayor stated.
It was learned that Richli Water applied before the NWRB to extract 4,200 liters per second (LPS) of water from Bugwak Spring. The capacity of the spring is about 4,500 LPS. Balilhan was allowed by the NWRB to extract 227.18 LPS based on its CWP from Bugwak Spring. The volume of water Balilihan is allowed by the NWRB to extract from the said spring took into consideration the increase in population in the town for the next 50 years.
For context, Bugwak Spring is located within the Loboc River. It is not found on any public and private land, according to Mayor Chatto.
(STORY 3)
Richli Water engages in lot buying spree says VM Trisha
Richli Water went into a buying spree of lots near Bugwak Spring which was explained by lawyer Vice Mayor Trisha Chatto, during the press conference on Jan. 13, 2023.
It seems the strategy of Richli Water is to buy lots located near Bugwak Spring and then demand that the DPWH and contractor will stop their construction activities related to the waterworks system of Balilihan, for the reason that these construction activities are done in and on the lots allegedly owned by Richli Corporation since, as alleged by the latter, the Corporation has already bought such lots. This was the statement of Vice Mayor Trisha Chatto.
The lots near the barangay road in Sto. Niño are lots 23225 and 23228. Lot 23228 is further divided to A, B and C.
Richli Water first bought Lot No. 23228-B from Tomasa Pajuta. After learning that the company bought the said lot, Mayor Pureza Chatto met with Rio Pajuta, the son of Tomasa who was the vendor of the lot. Rio Pajuta, around first week of October 2020, said the LGU can still lay the pipes on the other side of the road as Lot No. 23225 was yet to be purchased by Richli Water at the time of the meeting.
It was learned later that Richli Water on Oct. 7, 2020, already allegedly bought Lot No. 23225, thus, with this alleged development, the company now owns the lots at both sides of the barangay road in Sto. Niño.
The lot buying spree continued especially when Richli Water said that it purchased on Dec. 3, 2021, Lot No, 23228-C. This said lot is near the Loboc River and is adjacent to the infrastructure of the Bohol Electric Cooperative I.
On Dec. 10, 2021, Richli Water demanded that the DPWH and the contractor should stop their job of the laying of pipes in the area as Richli Water claimed that the laying of the pipes was done within the company’s private property, which is lot no 23228-C which they just bought.
The last parcel of land purchased by Richli Water was a lot on the side of the town of Sevilla near the river. The company claimed it purchased the lot from the Ejoc family on June 7, 2022.
Yet, Vice Mayor Chatto said that the lot is contested because there are other claimants to the parcel of land allegedly purchased by Richli Water.
The assessment of the LGU is that the moves of Richli Water are deliberate ploys to stop the progress of the bulk water project of Balilihan, the vice mayor quipped.
Aside from the lot buying spree, Richli Water also filed all sorts of cases against the LGU officials both in the town and in the barangay levels. The company also filed cases against the DPWH and Joniver Achacoso, the contractor of the Balilihan bulk water project, according to Vice Mayor Trisha Chatto.
In contrast, the LGU has no pending case whatsoever tiled against the company.
(STORY 4)
Richli Water, via paid advertisement, blames Mayor Pureza for Bohol’s water problem after typhoon Odette
During the press conference, Vice Mayor Trisha Chatto showed on screen, a photo of a paid ad published in a local weekly newspaper (not the Bohol Tribune) blaming Mayor Pureza Chatto as the reason Boholanos were having water supply problems after the onslaught of typhoon Odette.
Richli Water alleged that because the local government unit (LGU) of Balilihan objected to the company’s water permit application, the Richli Water was unable to construct a water treatment plant in Balilihan. The paid ad was published on Dec. 19, 2021 and entitled “No Water Due to Mayor Chatto”.
However, Mayor explained that Richli Water filed a CWP for Tinubran Spring without any consultation and the LGU had no clue about the plans of the company in Balilihan. For this reason, the Sangguniang Bayan passed a resolution opposing the CWP of Richli Water for the said spring due to lack of consultation.
The company was asked by the NWRB to make an explanation on the town’s opposition but no action was made by Richli Water regarding the NWRB’s communication. The company, in another instance, was asked again by the said board, but still no action was done by Richli Water regarding the matter.
Despite zero action on the order to explain, the NWRB gave Richli Water a go signal to pursue its CWP application.
The LGU opposed because the company was silent about the plans for Balilihan.
The LGU then again opposed Richli Water’s CWP application for Bugwak Spring.
The two oppositions of the LGU were dismissed because the CWP applicant, according to the decision, is not required to consult with the LGU. The LGU did not file any motion for reconsideration regarding this decision and accepted the NWRB’s decision, hook, line and sinker.
It is clear that with the dismissal of the opposition file by the LGU, Richli Water had all the opportunities to build a water project in Balilihan. With this go signal from the NWRB for Richli Water, it is, then, inaccurate to blame Mayor Chatto for the water shortage in Bohol after Odette.
Lastly, the vice mayor revealed that, in several media releases, (not in the Bohol Tribune) it was mentioned that Richli Water is not interested to supply water to Balilihan. However, the company has, in 3 separate letters, offered to supply the town with water. Richli Water wrote to the LGU on April 7, then on the 18th and finally on the 20th.
The company said
- in the first letter that its offer is to supply water at P24 per cubic meter (cu. m.).
- In the next letter, the company lowered the price to P19 per cu.m.
- and in the final letter, it was indicated that Richli Water is willing to supply water to Balilihan at P15 per cu. m.
Mayor Chatto said the LGU sells water at P15 per cu. m. and if the town buys water from Richli Water, the town government can no longer afford to sell water to the residents of Balilihan at P15 per cu. m.
Moreover, Balilihan has no plans to get water from any supplier because it has its own water project, Vice Mayor Trisha Chatto quipped.
However, the LGU is willing to allow Richli Water to supply water directly to consumers in Balilihan, just like what it is doing in Dauis, Panglao and Tagbilaran City.
The town is open to investors as long as the LGU knows what the investors’ plans are for Balilihan, the mayor said.
“We can co-exist. They can have their business and we can go on with our service,” the mayor added.
(STORY 5)
LGU wants Richli to reveal plans for Balilhan
The local government unit (LGU) of Balilihan has been asking Richli Water for any formal presentation of plans about the latter’s project/s in the town but the company refuses to do so due to “confidentiality reasons”. Until the time of the press conference, the water company was unable to present its plans to LGU Balilihan.
There were repeated requests regarding the matter; and a letter was even sent to Richli Water to present its plans for Balilihan, but, to no avail.
There were promises that plans will be revealed but to no avail, again, Mayor Chatto stressed.
Mayor Pureza Chatto still awaits for the time when the water company will provide the right information about their plans.
With these pictures in front of us, would it be safe to say that as of the moment, the conditional water permit of Richli Water remains a mere scrap of paper?
The company has yet to make moves to show that it has developed its water project at Bugwak Spring; while the the LGU awaits for such developments regarding the project.
(STORY 6)
Irate? No, I’m not, says Mayor Pureza
Mayor Pureza Chatto said that during the dialogue which she (together with some LGU Balilihan officials) and Richli Water officials had, she was accused of getting angry at the Richli Water representatives. This accusation she vehemently denied.
Mayor Chatto narrated that in the dialogue, face to face, between LGU Balilihan and Richli Water in July 2021, one of the protocols was to introduce the members of both teams.. As the members of both teams were introduced, Mayor Chatto emphasized that Mr. Richard Lim was not physically present. In that meeting, the local government unit (LGU) presented the cadastral survey indicating the barangay road which is a public property.
During the presentation, Mayor Chatto said that there was a time when she had to stress a point and wanted to clearly emphasize such point. So like any teacher and presenter, she made her voice louder. As she used an emphatic loud voice during her explanation, she was surprised, (together with the other LGU Balilihan Officials), because she was cut short in her explanation since the company’s chairman Richard Lim intervened in her explanation/discussion during the meeting. The intervention was done by Mr Lim via Zoom using a tablet brought to the dialogue by the Richli Water personnel. The LGU officials, including the mayor, were surprised that the company’s chairman was present virtually. LGU Balilihan never knew that during the said dialogue, the Richli Water Camp attending the meeting used a tablet to cover the event virtually. This was the avenue used by Mr. Richard Lim to come into the meeting and intervened without asking any permission.
Nobody from the LGU camp knew that Richard Lim was in the meeting virtually. The LGU camp only came to be aware of Lim’s presence when he told Mayor Chatto, via zoom without any prior notice, to refrain from “lecturing” the company personnel attending the meeting/dialogue.
The mayor said that she was not angry; she was just stressing a point during her explanation hence she had to raise a louder voice to emphasize a point.
Richard Lim then asked his personnel to leave the dialogue area. Mayor Chatto requested them to stay and finish the meeting. However, the leader of the group represented by Ralph Lim (the son of Richard Lim) said that he could not stay as he has a more important meeting to attend to.
(STORY 7)
Bishop Abet tells Mayor Pureza his side
There were media reports coming out and these reports said that upon hearing of the controversy, the Bishop of Tagbilaran, Alberto Uy, was allegedly willing to mediate between the local government units (LGUs) of Balilihan and Sevilla to resolve the issues involving the Bugwak Spring.
The entry of Bishop Abet came after he attended a town fiesta in Sevilla where some media people discussed the matter about the water issue and where the Bishop was present.
For her part, Mayor Pureza Chatto said that she received some communications from Bishop Abet via her phone. Since she missed to take the call of Bishop Abet, she tried contacting him. According to Mayor Chatto, Bishop Abet told her that he had no idea about the water issue. He just went to Sevilla to attend the town fiesta and there the bishop was asked by dyTR’s Ted Ayeng if the religious leader was willing to mediate between the two LGUs.
The bishop said he would not intervene because the religious official is not privy to the issue between Sevilla and Balilihan. However, if asked to help, Bishop Abet is willing to do it.
(STORY 8)
VM Trisha reveals phases of the water project of Balilihan
Vice Mayor Trisha Chatto explained that the first phase of the water project is about 95 percent complete.
Moreover, phase 2 is focused on the sanitation of the water from the source.
The third phase involves the installation of solar panels to power the water pumps of the waterworks system.
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Trisha Chatto denied the allegations that the LGU will sell the water it extracts from Bugwak Spring to other towns. The town has a notarized agreement with barangay Sto. Niño where the former states that it will not sell water outside Balilihan.
Moreover, the Bohol Water Utilities Inc. issued a statement saying it has no conditional water permit (CWP) application for Bugwak Spring and looks at other water sources.
Despite a cancellation order on Balilihan’s CWP, the permit remains valid as there is a pending motion for reconsideration, according to the mayor.
For this reason, the LGU remains steadfast in its desire to provide water to its constituents.
In closing, Vice Mayor Trisha Chatto said the LGU just wants to complete the project to benefit the people of Balilihan and at the same time allow other water providers to set up business and directly sell to the people.
