1 week Ago By Tatiana Maligro
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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Mayoral and vice mayoral candidates of Cagayan de Oro City shared their plans for the city to local voters during the third Pag-ila 2025 forum on Saturday, April 26.The event was organized by the Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental chapter of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), the city’s Commission on Elections (Comelec), as well as Xavier University’s Central Student Government-Office of the Vice President and the Social Involvement and Advocacy Program.
Of the city’s six mayoral aspirants, only Romer Cabildo, former Phividec Industrial Estate administrator Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña, and former mayor Oscar Moreno attended the event. Incumbent City Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy — who is seeking a second term in the May 2025 polls — was notably absent.Meanwhile, incumbent Vice Mayor Jocelyn “Bebot” Rodriguez faced former city councilor Zaldy Ocon in the vice mayoral leg of the forum.
Must Watch LIVESTREAM: Pag-ila 2025 forum with Cagayan de Oro mayoral, vice mayoral candidates Solutions to the water crisisCandidates gave mixed responses when asked whether they were for the privatization of the Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD).Cabildo said he was against privatizing the city’s water supply as he believes it would hike residents’ water bills. However, Moreno and La Viña said they would support the entry of new players, with Moreno saying that utilities such as water are capital-intensive.
La Viña, meanwhile, touted the construction of Phividec’s water system during his term, which he said can supply around 10 million metric tons of potable water daily.“If Phividec can do it, Cagayan de Oro can do it. But we need to eradicate corruption first,” he said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
Rodriguez also batted for privatization, saying the increased competition would allow residents to choose a water supplier that suits them best. She also criticized the Moreno administration for entering what she described as a disadvantageous contract for the city government.Ocon, on the other hand, slammed the current city council for baselessly approving the rate increases without going through public consultations.
He also denied knowledge of city officials traveling to Manila to negotiate the rate increases when he was still councilor.window.rapplerAds.
displayAd( "middle-2" );window.rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-2" );Must Read Court orders LWUA to keep hands off Cagayan de Oro water utility Enforcing solid waste management ordinancesNearly all candidates called to review the waste collection contract awarded to a joint venture between Tencil Construction Incorporated and Jomara Konstrukt Corporation in 2023.
(READ: Cagayan de Oro seeks new trash hauler amid poor collection complaints)La Viña said the collection company must be summoned to explain the inefficiencies in its garbage collection. He added that the current trash hauler can always be replaced with a firm that can commit to regular garbage collection at a more reasonable price tag.Moreno also pointed out that the company was awarded the contract despite the suspension of its Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) certificate and its non-compliance with certain details of the bid.
This includes having only 30 collection trucks instead of the bid’s required 70 new vehicles.Ocon also said the Uy administration disqualified the P208-million bid of a Manila-based firm, which was more advantageous to the local government than the P219-million winning proposal.But for Rodriguez, Cagayan de Oro has been suffering from its trash woes long before Uy took office.
She also pitched involving barangays in the waste management process.Urban mobility and decongesting trafficMoreno proposed expanding port facilities to decongest the Macabalan Pier, and even assigning certain goods to certain ports. The former mayor also suggested expanding the Iligan-Butuan corridor.
“For example, vegetables can be brought to Tablon (Pier), while cattle and other livestock can be at another port,” Moreno said in Cebuano.Meanwhile, La Viña wants to pedestrianize Cagayan de Oro by making its roads friendlier to bikes and walking pedestrians. He also hopes to introduce smart parking and traffic management systems to help drivers and ensure enforcement of traffic rules.
As for the vice mayoral bets, Rodriguez bared her vision of making Cagayan de Oro a metropolis. She also proposed turning Cagayan de Oro into a 15-minute city by developing key areas of the city.According to Comelec data, there are over 414,000 registered voters in Cagayan de Oro City.
– Rappler.com.
