Joint venture firm takes over water distribution in Iloilo

By Perla Lena

July 1, 2019, 8:48 pm

<div><strong>TAKE OVER.</strong> Metro Iloilo Water (MIW) takes over the water distribution system in Iloilo City and seven other towns of Iloilo province, effective July 1, 2019. MIW is a joint venture of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) and the Metro Pacific Water (MPW), which is the wholly-owned water infrastructure investment of the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC). In photo, MIWD chairperson Jessica C. Salas (second from left) turns over the symbolic faucet to MPIC president and MIW director Jose Ma. K. Lim (3rd from left in a ceremony witnessed by (from left to right) MIWD Director Felix Tiu, Senator Franklin Drilon, MIW president Eriberto Calubaquib, and MIW chief operating officer Enrique Gita. <em>(PNA photo by PGLena)</em></div>
TAKE OVER. Metro Iloilo Water (MIW) takes over the water distribution system in Iloilo City and seven other towns of Iloilo province, effective July 1, 2019. MIW is a joint venture of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) and the Metro Pacific Water (MPW), which is the wholly-owned water infrastructure investment of the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC). In photo, MIWD chairperson Jessica C. Salas (second from left) turns over the symbolic faucet to MPIC president and MIW director Jose Ma. K. Lim (3rd from left in a ceremony witnessed by (from left to right) MIWD Director Felix Tiu, Senator Franklin Drilon, MIW president Eriberto Calubaquib, and MIW chief operating officer Enrique Gita. (PNA photo by PGLena)
ILOILO CITY – A joint venture firm took over the water distribution system here and seven other municipalities in Iloilo province, which are covered by the franchise area of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) effective Monday, July 1.
 
Metro Iloilo Water (MIW) was established by the MIWD and Metro Pacific Water (MPW), which is the wholly-owned water infrastructure investment of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC). MPW owns 80 percent of MIW while MIWD holds the remaining 20 percent.
 
The joint venture covers the operation, rehabilitation, and maintenance of the water distribution and wastewater management facilities of MIWD in Iloilo City and towns of Pavia, Oton, Maasin, Cabatuan, Santa Barbara, Leganes, and San Miguel.
 
MPIC president and MIW director Jose Ma. K. Lim, in his message during Monday’s commencement ceremony held at the Courtyard by Marriot in this city’s Mandurriao District, said they will be doing what they did to their concessionaires in Manila to consumers covered by the MIW in Iloilo.
 
“Maynilad has dedicated itself to improving the lives of 9.5 million people within its concessionaires. This is the role we also see MIW will be playing for the people of Iloilo; supplying Ilonggos with life-sustaining water while helping them protect the environment through the treatment of waste-water,” Lim said in his message.
 
During a press conference, Engineer Eriberto Calubaquib, MIW president, revealed that in the next five years, they intend to provide 24/7 water supply to the existing water concessionaires of MIWD and increase the number of customers being covered from the current 20 percent to 35 percent.
 
“Our strategy is to satisfy first the needs of our existing customers 24/7 with the right pressure,” he said. MIWD currently has around 40,000 service connections and more than 60 percent of them has already signed a new contract with MIW.
 
Meanwhile, Amaryllis Josephine Castro, officer-in-charge at the office of the MIWD general manager, said that they have key performance indicators (KPIs) that are expected to be delivered by the joint venture partnership in the next five years.
 
These include the provision of 24/7 water supply and at least 85 percent of their concessionaires; 35 percent expansion in terms of coverage;  increase non-water revenue from the existing more or less 48 percent; and more expansion in Iloilo City’s Molo and Arevalo districts.
 
“You expect that there is going to be a transition period that is happening at the moment and then we will be going through a lot of adjustments in the process,” Castro said.
 
According to her, the public should expect a lot of excavations that will happen in the next two years. They are also closely coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to be able to lessen the negative impact of excavation and construction. (PNA)
 
 
 

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