ILOILO City – Bulk water supplier Flo Water Resources Iloilo, Inc. and Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) quickly settled yesterday a dispute that led to the disruption of water supply in this city and three adjacent towns beginning Monday afternoon.
But safe water may resume flowing through faucets on Thursday yet. There are still water safety protocols and tests to conduct, according to Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) OIC general manager Amaryllis Josephine Castro.
Flo Water took issue on the plan to have an independent third party review its P21 per cubic meter selling price to MPIW.
Yesterday, according to Castro, both parties agreed there would be no third party involvement in their water supply arrangement.
“Nag-agree sila nga bilateral agreement lang anay, no third party for the time being for the sake of the public,” said Castro.
She added that Flo Water’s selling price would remain at P21 per cubic meter of water for six months.
Last night, Flo Water already started flushing water pipelines in preparation for the resumption of its water supply to MPIW. It also conducted two bacteriological tests.
Castro said these are protocols in MIWD’s Water Safety Plan. Water quality and public safety are just as important as water availability, she stressed.
“MPIW will do continuous flushing while we are waiting for the result of the bacteriological tests (for absence of waterborne diseases). Once ara na ang (negative) result sang bacteriological test, we can guarantee the public that the water is safe,” Castro told Panay News.
She appealed for patience and for people to continue conserving water.
Castro said the issue between Flo Water and MPIW was resolved early because of the intervention of Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas and Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
She also cited MPIW and Flo Water for being cooperative.
Flo Water supplies 20,000 cubic meters of water daily to MPIW’s 19,000 to 20,000 service connections in Pavia, Leganes and Iloilo City.
MPIW is the joint venture of MIWD and Metro Pacific Water for the operation, rehabilitation and maintenance of water distribution and wastewater management facilities of the water district.
Last month, May 15, a six-month provisional water supply agreement brokered by Defensor and Treñas averted what would have been the start of water rationing here and in parts of Pavia, Santa Barbara and Leganes.
The 10-year supply agreement of Flo Water with MPIW ended on May 15, with Flo Water initially informing MIWD it was not renewing the contract after negotiations on the new pricing bogged down.
Defensor and Treñas sat down with MIWD, MPIW and Flo Water executives to avert a water supply shortage.
“The parties, in the presence of Governor Defensor and me, agreed to an interim supply contract of six months,” Treñas told Panay News.
Within this six-month period, MIWD and Flo Water would continue haggling until they could come up with mutually acceptable terms, said Treñas.
In the interim supply agreement, both parties agreed to P21 per cubic meter as Flo Water’s selling price to MIWD./PN
