PROTECTING WATERSHEDS. A tree-planting activity sponsored by Manila Water (MW). Dittie Galang, head of MW’s corporate communications, said on Thursday (June 29, 2023) that cultivating watersheds in Calabarzon is part of the company's long-term efforts to develop new water sources to serve more customers over a wider area. (Photo from Manila Water's Facebook page)
ANTIPOLO CITY, Rizal – A Manila Water (MW) executive on Thursday disclosed that the company targets to supply running water to the entirety of Rizal province in the coming years.
In an interview, Dittie Galang, head of corporate communications at MW, said to realize its objective of expanding its service area, the company continues to move forward with its environmental, sustainability, and governance goals in the province.
Right now, Galang said, the MW only supplies water to parts of Rizal, including Antipolo City, Angono, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Jalajala, Taytay, and a few other towns, representing an estimated 413,000 service connections.
She said MW envisions a much wider service area by the time its franchise expires in 2047.
Galang explained that the company’s recent efforts to cultivate watersheds in Rizal and other parts of Calabarzon are part of long-term efforts to develop new water sources to serve more customers over a wider area.
“This (reforestation initiative) is part of our watershed protection and management (efforts). It allows us to keep our sources (of water) sustainable,” she told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Galang disclosed that about 500 native and fruit-bearing trees have so far been planted in the Santa Rosa Watershed, and more may be forthcoming.
She noted that a recent tree-planting activity at this watershed was carried out through Laguna Water, which is MW’s largest business unit outside Metro Manila.
Galang said unlike the water company’s operations in Metro Manila’s East Zone, which is regulated by the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), Laguna Water is regulated by the local government unit.
Meanwhile, the water firm announced that its siphoning trucks would be rolling out to the homes of its Rizal customers to provide free desludging services in July.
In a statement, MW said barangays Mahabang Parang in Angono; Santo Domingo, San Juan, Beverly Hills, Mambugan, and San Isidro in Cainta; Dolores in Taytay; Bilibiran in Binangonan; and Burgos, San Isidro, and San Jose in Montalban should also expect visits from its siphoning trucks next month.
The company told customers to take advantage of the free service to avoid overflowing septic tanks, especially during the rainy season. (PNA)
