President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed a retired military general as chairman of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

In a speech Thursday night in Davao City during the thanksgiving party for his former close aide and now Senator-elect Christopher "Bong" Go, Duterte said he has tapped Ricardo "Dick" Morales to the post.

Morales will replace Franklin Demonteverde.

"I tapped Dick Morales as chairman of MWSS," he said, describing Morales as a member of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, a group of rebellious military officers who wanted to oust dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

"He's from Davao," he said.

Duterte named Morales as the new MWSS chair after Metro Manila and nearby areas suffered a water crisis in March.

He threatened to fire all the MWSS officials because of the water problem. Celerina Monte/DMS