By CESAR JOLITO III

Former Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) General Manager Mona Dia Jardin has denied claims that she prevented the release of back wages for employees displaced after the joint venture agreement (JVA) between Baciwa and Primewater.

Jardin said she immediately facilitated the allocation of P50 million from a special savings deposit to form a fund for the back wages, which she personally endorsed and signed for approval.

She noted that one of Baciwa’s investments had already matured, increasing the fund by another P51 million.

According to her, the Baciwa board of directors (BOD) previously expressed intent to settle the claims of the redundant employees to prevent ballooning obligations.

However, discrepancies remain in the estimated liabilities, with the employees’ union claiming P147 million while Baciwa’s finance department recorded only P132 million.

Jardin clarified that the case involving the payment of back wages and reinstatement of former employees has already been elevated to the Civil Service Commission and is now pending before the Court of Appeals.

“I stand firm that we should wait for the ruling of the Court of Appeals before making payments so that Baciwa will be prepared should the decision favor the employees,” Jardin said.

She stressed that it is not within her power to obstruct the process.

On August 18, representatives of the BOD, the corporate secretary and the finance team reconciled records, agreeing to initially prepare P100 million for payment.

Despite this, uncertainty lingers over the issue of reinstatement, which remains unresolved pending a court decision.

She also questioned why she was being singled out, saying she should not be blamed for a matter already under the jurisdiction of the courts./CJ, WDJ