ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas wants the looming water supply problem here resolved at the soonest possible time.
He urged Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) and bulk water supplier Flo Water Resources (Iloilo), Inc. to continue negotiating.“
It is my hope that the parties come to a mutually acceptable agreement at the earliest time possible,” said Treñas.
Flo Water has not decided to renew its 10-year contract with MIWD when it ends effective 11:59 p.m. of May 15, 2022.
According to Amarylis Josephine Castro, officer-in-charge of MIWD’s Office of the General Manager, its joint venture Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) will be rationing water in 12-hour intervals beginning May 16.
At least 20,000 water connections are seen to be adversely affected by the drop in water supply.
“It is my hope that while the parties are negotiating the new terms of their contract, the effects on the consumers will be mitigated by the efforts of MIWD and Metro Pacific Water to deliver water to affected barangays,” said Treñas.
According to Engineer Rob Cabiles, chief operating officer of MPIW, the parties could not agree on the pricing of water to be supplied.
What’s the immediate effect?
There will be low water pressure to no water at all parts of Iloilo City, the municipality of Leganes, Pavia (barangays Pagsanga-an and Anilao), and parts of Santa Barbara.
Flo Water and its partner Iloilo Prime Water Ventures Corp. supply 30,000 cubic meters of water daily (20,000 for Flo Water and 10,000 for Prime Water) to MPIW’s 19,000 to 20,000 service connections in Pavia, Leganes and Iloilo City.
According to Cabiles, Flo Water sought an increase in the price of water it delivers. It asked for P25 per cubic meter.
Cabiles said this proposed rate is more than double the current per cubic meter price of P11.72.
“We could not agree to such a price (P25 per cubic meter). Our customers will suffer for that very high price of water,” said Cabiles.
Flo Water sought a price increase so it could finance the repair of its water lines and develop/improve the banks of a river Pototan, Iloilo where it sources the water it supplies to MPIW.
MIWD made a counter-offer – P13 per cubic meter.
The negotiation fell, said Cabiles./PN
