Photo credit: MWSS

The United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) lodged criminal and administrative charges against eight current and former officials of the Metro Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) concerning the development of the P12 billion New Centennial Water Source—Kaliwa Dam Project.

In its 10-page complaint affidavit, UFCC pointed to a series of irregularities encircling the multi-billion peso project, which the MWSS awarded to China Energy and Engineering Corporation (CEEC) in July 2018.

UFCC President, RJ Javellana, asserted, "This transaction entered into by the MWSS and CEEC was grossly disadvantageous to the Philippine government and prejudicial to the interests of the consumer sector in general."

At the core of the complaint are allegations of impropriety that permeated every stage of the project's life cycle, from the bidding process to the eventual awarding.

Javellana emphasized, "Apparently laws were violated and regulations were set aside to favor a specific bidder. To sum it up, this was the story of the biggest anomaly in the history of MWSS that we are trying to unearth."

Among those named in the charge sheet are incumbent MWSS administrator Leonor C. Cleofas, who chaired the agency's Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) preceding the contract's fruition, along with former MWSS administrator and chairman Reynaldo Velasco, deputy administrators Jose Dorado Jr. and Walter Patrosa, and 2018 BAC members Annabella S. Altuna, Jocelyn M. Toledo, Ronald S. Abrigo, and Ramon R. Fabul.

The accused officials are facing charges under Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; RA 9184, the Government Procurement Reform Act; and RA 8731, the Indigenous People's Law.