Fire survivors’ long wait for water is over
For over 20 years, Yieldez Veran fetched water from her neighbor who had a water connection and paid P3 for each pail in Barangay Mantuyong, Mandaue City.
“Baynte katuig hinakot ( We did this for 20 years),” said the 46-year-old, who said she spent at least P30 per day.
But that changed yesterday, when Veran and other survivors of the March 2016 fire were connected to the barangay’s new water network, inaugurated by the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), the Sustainable and Resilient Propoor Water Supply Project Cebu (WatSupCebu) and their partners from the Netherlands.
WatSupCebu is a five-year private-public partnership that will benefit 80,000 people in Metro Cebu. Its $8-million (P376 million) funding comes from the Netherlands.
The water system for Mantuyong’s fire survivors in Mantuyong is just one of its projects.
The project was realized with the help of The Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Eau et Vie (E&V), the Netherlands Red Cross, Vitens Evides and E&V-Tubig Pagasa.
Yesterday’s launching was attended by Honorary Consul to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Gordon Allan Joseph, MCWD general manager Jose Eugenio Singson Jr., Vitens Evides project manager Patrick Egan, Mantuyong Barangay Captain Juanito Urot Jr., Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna and Councilor Carmelino del Mar Jr.
According to Joseph, Vitens Evides is one of the biggest water companies in the Netherlands.
In an interview, Egan told reporters that they wanted to implement the project in February last year yet, but they had to postpone it when the area was struck by fire in March that year.
He also said that every house will be billed daily.
“Instead of getting a monthly bill, which they find very hard to pay... the meter is read every day and a bill is issued every day. And to date, on all sites we currently serve in this manner, we have a 99-percent collection success so this payment mechanism really works for low-income household,” said Egan.
Maria Estela Vasquez, branch manager of Tubig Pagasa in Mandaue, said a household pays P650 as down payment, which includes the membership fee, connection and notarial fee.
Each connected household will also pay P25 per week within six months to complete the required P5,300 connection fee.
Vasquez said the consumption fee will be collected by an authorized collector.
For her part, Veran was thankful that they now have potable water in their house.
“Pasalamat mi gitagaan mi ani kay lisod mi og tubig diri (We are very thankful that we now have easy access to water),” she said.
Vice Mayor Fortuna advised residents to take care of the water network and not to miss their payments.