BONTOC, Mountain Province – Aimed to provide sufficient, safe, and domestic water supply in this capital town, the Sangguniang Bayan of Bontoc amended the Water Supply Ordinance which was passed in 2015.
Under Ordinance No. 388, s. 2024, prohibited acts and penalties were stipulated to avoid interruption of water services and ensure adequate and continuous water supply distribution by the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) through its Municipal Waterworks.
Among the prohibited acts include draining of the reservoir, to include collecting the water from the reservoir by any unauthorized person; tapping or connecting directly into the reservoir, supply pipelines and distribution pipelines, connections to consumers shall only be made at the designated distribution manifolds; causing destructions on government properties such as the manifolds, reservoir and or supply distribution pipelines and other structures, signages to include fire hydrants; use of water pump machine directly on the supply of distribution pipelines, manifolds to private households because it disturbs the equal distribution of water supply to consumers; conduct of any human activities within the delineated water source catchment such as agricultural practices and recreation leisure that may directly and indirectly introduce contamination to the water source; connecting more than ½ inch diameter of pipes for domestic use in observance of equal distribution of water supply to all consumers; unauthorized opening of the main distribution gate valves by consumers during the unscheduled time of water service except in the case of emergency such as sudden occurrence of fire incident, among others.
Consumers who do not comply with the prohibited acts shall be cut off from their water supply connection without prior notice by the Office of the Municipal Waterworks Supervisor.
Personnel of the Office of the Municipal Waterworks Supervisor who accept bribes for illegal connection or tapping of water supply from the source, manifolds and distribution pipelines shall be charged with an administrative case and be penalized.
Any person who is found guilty of violating the ordinance shall be fined not exceeding P2, 500 payable to the Office of the Municipal Treasurer within 24 hours following the apprehension. Failure to pay the fine shall be a cause for blacklist, permanent ineligibility and exclusion in any water connection with the Bontoc Water System.
It is further stated in the ordinance that if the violation results in significant damage to the Bontoc Water System or affects the water supply to the community, the case shall be elevated to the Municipal Trial Court for the imposition of additional civil or administrative liabilities, including compensation for damage caused.
Meanwhile, in case of fire incidents within the municipality, the Office of the Municipal Waterworks Supervisor shall take immediate action to support firefighting efforts.
The amended municipal ordinance which had undergone review and approval by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Mountain Province was sponsored by SB members Peter Kedawen and Jupiter Jule Kalangeg. By Alpine L. Killa-Malwagay
