Manila Water unit inks Cebu supply deal

A wholly owned subsidiary of Manila Water Co. Inc. has signed a supply contract with the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD).

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) yesterday, Manila Water said its subsidiary Manila Water Philippine Ventures Inc. (MWPV) inked a 10- year contract agreement with the MCWD for the supply and delivery of potable surface water.

The company has yet to respond to requests for further details of the contract.

Based on its website, the MCWD covers the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay and Lapu-Lapu and the municipalities of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela and Cordova.

In December last year, Manila Water announced that its subsidiary Cebu Manila Water Development Inc. (CMWD) has terminated its contract for the supply of water to the MCWD. The termination was effective Dec. 1.

Formed in 2012, CMWD is a joint investment of Manila Water Consortium Inc. and the provincial government of Cebu for the development and operation of a bulk water supply system to supply 35 million liters per day of potable water in target areas in the province.

In the same year, the joint investment company then received the notice of award for the 20-year water purchase agreement on Dec. 13, with the agreement signed on Dec. 18.

Manila Water Consortium Inc. is a subsidiary of MWPV.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Manila Water urged its customers in the East Zone service area to avail themselves of its free desludging services.

Manila Water said it emptied a total of 103,511 septic tanks in the East Zone service area from January to November of last year.

As part of environmental sustainability and regulatory compliance, Manila Water offers desludging services to its customers at no additional cost.

“To ensure that the septage or collected wastewater is properly treated, we continue to encourage our customers to avail of Manila Water’s desludging services to ensure that the effluent to be released back to water bodies passes the standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Manila Water is currently operating two septage treatment plants, one in Taguig City and the other in San Mateo, Rizal, that receive and treat the hauled septage before discharging into water bodies through environmentally safe means,” Manila Water Corporate Communications Affairs Group director Jeric Sevilla said.

“We can also prolong the life of our household septic tanks through regular desludging every five to seven years. If the septage accumulates for too long, the solids might clog drains and overflow and may potentially contaminate the water supply at home. These pose harm not only to sanitation but to the health and safety of our customers,” he added. –