“Tubig Natin, Karapatan Natin”: A Call For Reliable Water Service in Cagayan De Oro City

 

Water is an important necessity that we use in our everyday lives. We use it  for drinking, cooking, bathing, cleaning, and maintaining proper sanitation. However, when the water supply becomes unreliable, these same activities can be disrupted affecting every household, schools, businesses, and public establishments. That same water could potentially put our health at risk. Many residents in various parts of Cagayan de Oro have already raised their concerns regarding: 

 

1. Low Water Pressure - This is one of the most recurring concerns where residents have reported water being extremely weak especially during day time which makes everyday activities harder. 

2. No water supply - Some residents experienced times where only little water comes out or none at all. 

3. Muddy or dirty-looking water - Resident reports describing discoloration and muddy parts in tap water. 

4. Increase Water Bills vs Water Service - COWD proposed a 40% increase in water bills which raised the minimum rate of  ₱ 218 to ₱ 294 last June while the service remains questionable for many residents. 

Imagine, our families are working hard just to afford every bill and simply have access to clean water, but many times, this is no longer possible because of the unreliable service. Families should not have to struggle to meet their daily needs while also worrying about whether they will have enough water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and other basic necessities.

Concerns regarding the water service in our city have grown due to its possible effects on residents. It affects our health, our surroundings, and our daily lives, while the continuous increase in water rates leaves many feeling that the situation is unfair. Therefore, we respectfully demand

1. Establishment of clearer service standard - Maintain a reasonable pressure and minimized frequent interruptions. 

2. Improve communication in case interruptions occur - Residents should receive timely information about scheduled interruptions, affected areas, emergency repairs, restoration time. 

3. Provide Water-quality information - We ask for updated water quality information about water testing. 

4. Transparency regarding water rate bills - We ask for transparency regarding our increased water bills.

Access to clean water is our right, along with a reliable and transparent government agency that is accountable to the people it serves. We should not stay silent and accept mediocre service because each and every one of us pay our taxes fairly and clean water along with a reliable water-service is what we deserve. 

Source:

 City Government of Cagayan de Oro. (2026, June 9). Abaday calls for review of 40 percent COWD water rate hike bid. City Government of Cagayan de Oro. 

City Government of Cagayan de Oro. (2026b, June 30). Water interruption sa mga barangays 1-40, Puntod, Nazareth, Macasandig ug Camaman-an. 

City Government of Cagayan de Oro. (2026c, March 13). Water supply sa CDO mokunhod tungod sa rehabilitation. 

City Government of Cagayan de Oro. (2026d, April 13). Water interruption tungod sa COWD emergency repair. 

Disclaimer: This petition is created for educational purposes only. It is part of a performance task for the subject Empowerment Technologies and does not represent an official petition, position, or statement of the school or its administration.