Chairman Prospero Pichay, Jr. of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) assured city residents Thursday of a 24-hour water service once the city waterworks systems is under the control of the Tagbilaran Water Utilities Administration.The country's water czar was here during the three-day Philippine Water Works association (PWWA) at the Bohol Tropics Resort Club. Pichay's Bohol visit was also timed during the issuance of the Conditional Certificate of Conformance to the Tagbilaran City Water District. The ceremonies were held at the City Hall Atrium. The CCC certifies the establishment of the city water district, the first important step in the development of modern water system in this city. Hailed on the part of the city mayor as a bold step to modernize the city water supply, once fully operational, the city LWUA expects an uninterrupted water service 24/7. At the same time, Pichay also allayed fears of the public who are drawing water from the LWUA-administered system that water rates will be kept within socialized pricing levels.

 There were apprehensions from residents that if LWUA will come into the picture the next best thing is for the public utility to increase its water rates to conform for its abundant water supply. In answer to the LWUA chairman's assurance, Mayor Dan Neri Lim said the people should start thinking of water as a resource and not a commodity. This was the gist of the message given by Mayor Lim during the creation of the Tagbilaran City Water District (TCWD) last Oct. 1. "Before anything else however, we need to have the right mindset. We need to disabuse ourselves of the thinking that water is a commodity,” the mayor said. Lim warned that when people think this way, they will treat water same way they treat other commodities. “The more we sell, the cheaper it gets, that's the bargain mentality,” he noted. The mayor said it should not be this way. “Instead, let us think of water as a resource,” he stressed. The mayor explained that people should realize that the more they consume, the higher the cost for them.

“This will teach us how to use water responsibly. When we conserve water, we take into consideration that we need to protect the source because its usefulness depends on its availability,” he added. For instance, Lim pointed out, if studies say there is enough water to drink for the next 10 years, this should motivate the people to make it available beyond that. “If the experts are right, then we don't have to worry at least for the next 10 years. But how about if they are wrong and we end up short before 10 years,” he asked. Lim said the people should think with a sense of urgency if they do not want to be caught flat-footed. “We need to go through this with a sense of mission,” he urged city residents. With the help of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) through Administrator Prospero Pichay, Lim said the mission to extend the lifespan of the water resources would be brighter. “We can consider technology that will help us to re-use and recycle water. We can make full use of our meager resources to come up with a wastewater treatment facility,” he added.

The mayor noted that while the mandate of LWUA is to ensure the availability of water, it also has the corresponding responsibility to protect water as a valuable resource. Lim said that to be able to do this, there is a need for a roadmap to point to the right direction. “First, we need to identify the most viable sources of water. Second, we need the infrastructure to tap the water resource. Finally, we need to protect it,” the mayor said. Lim said the first two he leaves to the expert but there is a need for all to be part of the third. “As any basketball coach knows, if you have a good defense, the offense will take care of itself. It is an efficient defense that triggers a productive offense, and not the other way around,” he added.