Duterte to decide on MWSS officials’ fate before April 15

President Duterte is not pre-empting his decision whether or not to fire officials of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) over the recent water shortage that affected consumers of Manila Water in Metro Manila and Rizal province.

Interviewed by reporters in Taguig City Thursday night, the President said he will wait for the report of the MWSS on April 10 before he announces his decision five days later.

"I will not make a prejudgment. I asked them – everybody concerned – to submit a report by April 10 and

I will decide before April 15,"

Duterte said.

The President said he wants to find out if the water crisis is a product of negligence, or something that is really out of the MWSS' hands.

"Ano'ng nangyari (What happened), who was responsible for it? Was there negligence or was there really something which is beyond the competence of the MWSS could control," he said.

Duterte summoned MWSS officials and officials of two water concessionaires to Malacañang Tuesday evening and threatened to fire MWSS officials and scrap the contract of water concessionaires over the water rationing.

According to Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, a visibly irked Duterte did not even bother to listen to the explanation of the water officials as they could have implemented measures to address such crisis.

"The Chief Executive told them he was not going to listen to their explanation as to why there was a water shortage as such would be just plain excuses.

They simply did not do their job," Panelo said in a statement.

"'All they care about is get profit from the water of the people' and to their sufferance as well. The President told them they could have simply anticipated such shortage and could have done something about it," he added.

Panelo said that Duterte told officials of MWSS that they had to wait for them to be threatened to meet with them personally before they do something about the water crisis.

"The Chief Executive bluntly told them to “shape up or ship out!" he said.