BY PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA – Sen. Franklin Drilon is not in favor that the city government of Iloilo takes over the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) as Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog proposed.
“Nakita na naton ang problema kun ang gobyerno magpadalagan (We know what it’s like when government runs public utilities),” the Senate president told reporters.
Drilon instead called for MIWD’s privatization “basta indi magtaas ang sukot (but the water rates shouldn’t be excessive).”
“Better service for the same price, okay na sa akon,” he stressed.
Drilon said MIWD can be privatized because “50 percent” of water sold to the water district goes to “wastage,” “illegal connection” and “leaking pipes.”
The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Phase II, once completed, could help improve the city’s water supply because “it will supply an additional 85,000 cubic meters of water per day,” Drilon added.
“Ang supply indi problema. Ang problema naton is the inefficient distribution system of our water utility, which is MIWD,” he stressed.
Iloilo City’s Cong Jerry Treñas is also for MIWD’s privatization.
He told Panay News it is the “best solution” because the water district does not have the capacity to accommodate the 15,000 cubic meters of water being delivered by bulk water supplier Flo Water Resources Iloilo, Inc.
The congressman said MIWD’s plan to amend its water supply contract with Flo Water won’t help solve the water distribution problem.
In their 10-year water supply contract, Flo Water is supposed to deliver 15,000 cubic meters of water to MIWD daily.
But MIWD’s smaller pipes can only accommodate from 5,000 to 6,000 cubic meters daily at the most.
Mabilog said he prefers that the city government itself find ways to meet its people’s water requirement like what Iloilo province’s component city of Passi had done.
Passi abolished its dysfunctional water district and managed the city’s own water system. It later contracted a private entity to operate the system.
In a meeting early this week, Mabilog told MIWD officials the city government wants to take over the “water distribution duties.”
“All lines and pipes will be turned over to us,” Mabilog told Dr. Danilo Encarnacion, MIWD Board chairman.
“It would be our duty to maintain the pipes,” he told Encarnacion, adding that the water district can just function as a water supplier of the city government.
MIWD corporate legal counsel Roy Villa previously said the water district’s privatization won’t be easy. Presidential Decree 198 or the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973 must be nullified first.
Treñas said he and Drilon will help in whatever way they can for MIWD’s privatization.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod has called on the city government to take over MIWD after the water district failed to deliver water for two days (June 14 and 15). It failed to settle its bills with Flo Water.
Aside from Iloilo City, MIWD’s franchise area also covers the Iloilo municipalities of Leganes, Oton, Cabatuan, Maasin, Pavia, Sta. Barbara and San Miguel./PN
