CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) has reorganized its leadership and, in a meeting yesterday, elected economist and businessman Ruben D. Almendras as chairman of its Board of Directors.
Almendras is returning to the helm after previously serving as chair from 1995 to 2004. This return comes at a time when the utility is facing significant financial challenges and governance disputes.
At the beginning of the session, Director Jodelyn May Seno announced that all board positions were declared vacant to facilitate the election of new officers.
Lawyer Earl Bonachita nominated Almendras, with lawyer Mariefel Roble closing the nomination. Having no other candidates, the Board reorganized without a formal vote count.
Seno later clarified earlier reports that she and Director Miguelito Pato had abstained, explaining that the election proceeded without a raising of hands since Almendras was the sole nominee.
Both Seno and Pato have since expressed support for Almendras’ leadership, signaling consensus despite earlier speculation of division.
Following his election, Almendras nominated Bonachita as vice chairperson and Roble as board secretary. Bonachita assumed the position previously held by Seno, while Almendras replaced Pato as chair.
The five-member board now comprises Almendras (civic sector), Roble (professional sector), Bonachita (education sector), Pato (business sector), and Seno (women’s sector).
Almendras is a veteran Cebuano banker, economist, and civic leader. He first joined MCWD as director in 1993 and chaired the board for nearly a decade, overseeing expansions in water sourcing and institutional reforms.
His reappointment to the civic sector seat in December 2025 by Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival restored quorum to the board after months of uncertainty.
In his December 22, 2025 column in The Freeman, Almendras reflected on his reappointment, noting that MCWD’s “basic problem is that their cost of water is more than the revenues of the water sold.”
He pointed to the high cost of bulk water purchased from private suppliers, non-revenue water from leakages and pilferages at 32 percent, and water prices that have not been realistically adjusted due to regulatory delays.
He warned that the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) has been facing net losses and negative cash flow for several years. He described the situation as being “between the devil and the deep blue sea” or even “in deep trouble.”
Almendras emphasized that it is crucial to address the profitability and liquidity issues urgently if MCWD is to survive and continue providing service to over 200,000 connections across Metro Cebu.
While the MCWD reorganization suggests unity, past abstentions and factional tensions underscore the need for consensus-building to ensure effective governance.
Mayor Archival’s direct appointments of Almendras and Roble have reignited debates about executive influence in MCWD governance.
Yet Almendras’ return is widely seen as a stabilizing move, bringing experience and credibility at a time when the utility faces mounting financial losses, aging infrastructure, and supply instability.
In a statement following the reorganization, MCWD reaffirmed its commitment to institutional stability, sound governance, and uninterrupted public service.
| Written by Caecent No-ot Magsumbol
