Published March 17, 2021, 7:26 PM
There will be no water shortage in Metro Manila and neighboring towns in Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna until 2035.
But nearly 15 years of abundant water supply may still be cut to just two years – 2021 and 2022 – if the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, designed to augment the current Angat Dam water source, is not completed as scheduled.
Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System Administrator Reynaldo Velasco assured the House Committee on Metro Manila Development that sufficient water supply will be experienced until 2035 as indicated in the potable water roadmap the MWSS submitted to President Duterte.
“I can categorically tell you that if we follow the program that we started, we will be assured of enough water until 2035,” he said when asked by Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito-Castelo to explain what the road map is all about.
Published March 15, 2021, 7:00 AM
The Philippine government is yet to start negotiations with water concessionaires, Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Company Inc., regarding their new concession agreements (CA) with Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
In a text exchange, Maynilad President and Chief Executive Officer Ramoncito S. Fernandez said the government is supposed to consult with concessionaires regarding the updated water contracts, but this is yet to happen.
“We expect that a fair and objective review will be concluded at the soonest possible time,” Fernandez further said.
For her part, Jennifer Rufo, head of corporate communications at Maynilad, said no schedule has been set yet as to when concessionaires will be consulted about their contracts.
MWSS Logo
In a text message, retired Lt. General Emmanual Salamat confirmed to Manila Bulletin that he is no longer the MWSS administrator and that former Police Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco has regained the position. Velasco now serves as concurrent MWSS chairman and OIC administrator.
The agency went through a management shake-up in 2019 after the Ayala-led and MWSS concessionaire Manila Water Company Inc. caught itself in a supply mess that resulted in millions of its customers having low to no water supply for several weeks.
This prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to ask MWSS to release water for Angat Dam that is good for 150 days to address the issue, to which Velasco responded that the President may have been misinformed about the situation.
ECO WARRIORS. The Philippine National Police and Department of Environment and Natural Resources take active steps to reforest a portion of the Marikina Watershed Area in Rizal in January. Some 10,000 assorted seedlings of hardwood and fruit-bearing species were planted. (Photo courtesy of PNP Facebook via PNA)
MANILA – One noble project considered as a legacy of President Rodrigo Duterte is the establishment of the Million Trees Foundation (MTF) that would ensure the continuity and sustainability of the Annual Million Trees Challenge (AMTC) for the rehabilitation of seven critical watersheds in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
This was emphasized by Reynaldo Velasco, chair of the board of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, in a statement to the
Published March 4, 2021, 11:33 AM
There won’t be any water shortage in Metro Manila this year.
According to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, Metro Manila residents can expect adequate supply of water this year as the government hastens the implementation of various infrastructure projects to address water requirements in the region.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles (PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
The latest assurance came following President Duterte and the Cabinet’s discussion on the country’s infrastructure projects related to water security during a meeting in Malacañang Wednesday,.
“Let me start by sharing some good news,” Nograles said during a televised press briefing Thursday, March 4.