SURFACE WATER SOURCES. An undated image shows the Imbang River and the Malogo River as the identified sources of the proposed PHP1.2-billion Negros Occidental Bulk Water Supply Project. As of Friday (Jan. 5, 2024), at least five private firms have expressed interest in bidding for the project. (Image courtesy of Provincial Government of Negros Occidental)
BACOLOD CITY – Two more private companies responded to the invitation to bid for the PHP1.2 billion Negros Occidental Bulk Water Supply Project (NBWSP) aimed to address the growing water supply demand of Negrenses by developing surface water sources.
Added to the list were First Balfour Inc. and PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., after the first three – Manila Water Company Inc., Aboitiz InfraCapital, and Balibago Waterworks System Inc.-- expressed interest.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson announced the development in his New Year’s message to the provincial government employees at the Capitol Social Hall here Friday.
“We are currently in the bidding process for our bulk water supply project. The interest expressed by these prominent companies is evidence of their confidence in the project, our initiatives for water security, and the effectiveness of our governance,” he said.
Lacson noted that the project, through public-private partnership (PPP), “will last for decades and would benefit the next generations of Negrenses.”
Bidding documents will be available until Jan. 31 for other interested industry players. The PPP for the People-Selection Committee will hold the pre-selection of qualified bidders on Feb. 7.
Proposed under a 38-year contractual joint venture with the provincial government, the NBWSP involves the financing, engineering design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a bulk water supply system with a minimum capacity of 34.5 million liters per day.
Identified sources are the Imbang River and/or the Malogo River for the supply of treated bulk water to six water service providers in the cities of Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, and Victorias, as well as the municipalities of E.B. Magalona and Manapla.
The provincial government initiated the project based on “an increasing concern on the sustainability of water supply service sources in Negros Occidental, which at present are predominantly groundwater sources.”
Last June, the province completed the study for the NBWSP in partnership with the national government’s PPP Center, the Asian Development Bank, and the United States Agency for International Development. (PNA)
