TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The drinking water in New Jersey's capital city and some surrounding communities went largely untested for more than a year, the utility belatedly told roughly 200,000 affected customers, noting that it fired a worker who falsified the relevant reports.
Trenton Water Works said in a letter to customers last week that it became aware of the problem a year ago and that an investigation determined that the water sample collector fudged reports meant to monitor for disinfection byproducts, E. Coli and other things from October 2022 through last December. A majority of the water samples taken by the utility during that time were deemed to be invalid, it said.
The worker, who wasn't named in the utility's letter and who hasn't been charged, was put on leave and then fired.
The utility said the water is safe now and that customers don’t need to take any action.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora called the falsification of reports “inexcusable." He told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the matter was referred to state environmental officials, who passed it along to the state attorney general’s office.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to prosecute the bad guy,” he said.
He added that the utility has more than 100 employees.
“One of them did something extremely bad we’re extremely upset, and it’s embarrassing. At the same time, there were other water samples taken not indicating any sounding of alarms.”
Asked why it took a year to tell the public about the false reports, the mayor said the city followed state Department of Environmental Protection regulations.
“The notice itself is required by DEP,” he said. “But there was no indication of an imminent threat.”
In response to what happened, the utility said it has strengthened supervision of sample collectors and put additional procedures in place to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act. That includes installing GPS tracking devices on fleet vehicles for real-time supervision, it said.
A Trenton, N.J. Water Works treatment facility is seen along the Delaware River on Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A group led by left-wing activists filed a second impeachment complaint against the Philippine vice president on Wednesday over her alleged misuse of government funds and demanded that she be permanently barred from holding public office.
The impeachment complaint filed by at least 74 activists, including human rights, labor and student leaders, before the House of Representatives reflects the extent of the political hostilities faced by Vice President Sara Duterte. She did not immediately comment on the new impeachment complaint or an earlier one filed Monday.
Duterte, a 46-year-old lawyer, is the daughter of also-controversial former President Rodrigo Duterte, who oversaw a bloody anti-drug crackdown while in office. The killing of thousands of suspects during the crackdown is being investigated by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.
Her No. 1 political adversary has been President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom she publicly threatened with death in a Nov. 23 online news conference.
Government investigators have launched a criminal investigation into her threat against the president, his wife and the speaker of the House of Representatives, a cousin and ally of Marcos. Duterte has tried to walk back her comments by saying they were not a direct death threat but rather an expression of concern for her own safety.
The complaint filed Wednesday accused the vice president of “betrayal of public trust over the illegal use and mishandling of 612.5 million pesos ($10.3 million) in confidential funds,” according to a statement by the complainants.
The impeachment complaint said that in addition to the alleged misuse of the confidential and intelligence funds, the vice president and her staff allegedly tried to cover up the irregularities by submitting fabricated reports, receipts and documents to the Commission on Audit and deliberately obstructing a congressional investigation.
It said that in December 2022, the vice president’s office spent 125 million pesos ($2 million) in 11 days during the Christmas holidays for suspicious expenditures, including renting “safe houses,” paying for unspecified confidential information and financing rewards, which it said were not clearly explained by Duterte.
“Wasting the confidential funds is a big betrayal of the people,” said Liza Maza, a leading complainant from the Makabayan political coalition. “This is not just a simple technical violation but a systematic misuse and robbery of public funds.”
“The impeachment is the antidote to impunity,” said Renato Reyes of Bayan, another left-wing political coalition. “Citizens and taxpayers need to hold public officials accountable.”
On Monday, a group of civil society activists, including Roman Catholic priests and pro-democracy activists, filed an initial impeachment case that contained about 24 alleged crimes and irregularities, including her death threats against Marcos and her alleged role in the extra-judicial killings of drug suspects under her father's crackdown. She was also accused of failing to stand up to Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.
The impeachment complaints will be examined by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by allies of Marcos and his cousin and key backer, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who also has been politically at odds with the vice president.
The process could take weeks or months. Congress is to start its Christmas recess on Dec. 20 and resume on Jan. 13. Many legislators will then start campaigning for reelection ahead of the May 12 midterm elections.
The House has been investigating the alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds received by Duterte’s offices as vice president and education secretary. She has since left the education post.
She has refused to respond to questions in detail in tense televised hearings. Philippine police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security staff for allegedly assaulting authorities and disobeying orders in an altercation in Congress over the brief detention of her chief of staff, who was accused of hampering the congressional inquiry into the alleged misuse of funds.
The National Bureau of Investigation subpoenaed Duterte to face investigators on Dec. 11 about her threats against the president.
Marcos and Duterte won landslide victories as running mates in the 2022 election but have since fallen out over key differences. The two offices are elected separately in the Philippines, which has resulted in rivals occupying the country’s top political posts.
Associated Press journalists Aaron Favila and Joeal Calupitan contributed to this report.
House Secretary General, Reginald Velasco, left, receives a second impeachment complaint filed against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday Dec. 4, 2024 at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
