ILOILO City — Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) chief operating officer Angelo David C. Berba appeared before the Iloilo City Council’s Committee on Public Utilities on May 6, presenting a comprehensive update on the company’s water supply status, dry season preparedness, and the infrastructure projects it considers most critical to solving the city’s longstanding water supply challenges.
The consultative meeting was called at the invitation of committee chairman, Councilor Romel Duron, amid growing urgency brought on by the ongoing dry season and Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) forecast that El Niño conditions are likely to emerge as early as June to August 2026.
At the heart of MPIW’s presentation was its proposed 65 million liters per day (MLD) desalination plant — the company’s single largest and most consequential investment in Iloilo City’s water future. Once operational, the plant is projected to more than double service coverage in the city, from the current 28 percent to 60 percent. Berba disclosed that the plant was originally set to come online by the fourth quarter of 2027, a timeline committed to during its groundbreaking, but that regulatory and permitting processes have since pushed the target to 2028.
With this in mind, MPIW made a direct appeal to the City Council to help prioritize the advancement of these requirements, underscoring that every month saved in the permitting process translates directly to faster water access for thousands of Iloilo City households.
Complementing the desalination plant are two initiatives already well underway. MPIW’s pipe-laying rehabilitation and expansion program — highly visible across multiple districts of the city — is projected to recover up to 10 MLD through Non-Revenue Water reduction and service improvement projects, with several components targeted for completion by mid-2026.
In parallel, a Modular Desalination System being developed in partnership with Metro Pacific Water is on track to deliver an initial 2 MLD of additional supply by the second quarter of this year, providing near-term relief while larger infrastructure comes online.
Berba acknowledged that the pace of construction across the city has not gone unnoticed by residents.
“To our customers — patience and understanding, because these are temporary inconveniences for your long-term benefit,” he said.
He was equally candid about the role that government partnership plays in keeping these projects moving.
“Our request to the city government is to expedite the permitting, but so far we have good coordination with the city government and DPWH-ICDEO (Department of Public Works and Highways-Iloilo City District Engineering Office),” Berba noted, expressing confidence that the working relationship would continue to strengthen as more projects enter the construction phase.
MPIW reiterated that faster project delivery depends not only on its own execution, but on sustained collaboration with the city government — particularly in permit processing, inter-agency coordination, and community engagement. The company expressed gratitude for the opportunity to present before the committee and looked to the City Council as a key partner in turning these infrastructure commitments into reality.
“These projects are the most direct path to solving Iloilo City’s water supply challenges,” Berba said. “We are asking for the city’s partnership in making sure we can deliver on these as soon as possible.”
MPIW currently serves over 51,000 connections across Metro Iloilo and remains firmly committed to expanding access to safe, reliable, and sustainable water for every Ilonggo./PN
