• CHERYL G. CRUZ
PrimeWater Bacolod is eyeing an additional four million liters per day (MLD) of water supply, with the launching of its two projects in the city April 16, a day after Mayor Alfredo Benitez upbraided the company for its “zero compliance” to the joint venture agreement (JVA), especially the required 24-hour uninterrupted water supply.
The groundbreaking was for its Forbes Hill Water Source interconnection and pipelaying project, while a blessing ceremony was held for the Highland Hills Water Source Development, the city Public Information Office said.
The Forbes Hill project, aimed at bolstering water supply by 2MLD, would benefit residents of barangays Eroreco, Bata, and Mandalagan. The Highland Hills project, on the other hand, would deliver an additional 2MLD for barangays Granada and Vista Alegre, it added.
These projects were among those listed by PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. (PWIC) president Roberto Fabrique Jr., in his Letter of Undertaking to Benitez dated March 7 this year “to augment our supply that will allow PrimeWater to deliver additional 7MLD to a maximum volume of 17MLD to residents of Bacolod”.
Fabrique said the Forbes Hill project aims “to divert 2MLD of water supply from the Forbes Hill Pumping Station to different areas in Bacolod” while the “activation of the Highland Hills Subdivision water source, upon its turnover to Primewater, (would) produce water volume of up to 1MLD”.
PrimeWater has a 25-year JVA with the Bacolod City Water District that started in Nov. 2020.
Benitez, in a press conference April 15, said the JVA provision “on the 24-hour water supply by the end of the second year” of the agreement, or in Nov. 2022, has not been complied with.
“What have they done since 2022? Penalties should have been imposed. I understand that Baciwa is penalizing their bulk water suppliers for any violation. I am asking Baciwa why they have not yet penalized Primewater for JVA violations,” the mayor said.
“Four years into the JVA, nakit-an naton nga wala concrete improvement and daw wala tikang to make it more efficient and also the supply of 24-hour uninterrupted water service sa mga customers,” the mayor said, adding he has asked Baciwa to furnish him a list of violations of PrimeWater for possible renegotiation or termination of the JVA.
He said Baciwa is collating the violations this week. “I will take a look. I can sense nga indi sila serious (on complying with the JVA). I’m taking steps to push everybody to ensure that something will happen.”
“On the top of that, in these past few weeks nga sige sige kita pangita sang tubig para mahatagan ang mga barangay nga waterless, wala gid ko kabatyag sa ila (PrimeWater) nga bulig or pag support,” Benitez disclosed.
The city’s “Patubig sa Barangay” program aims to address water shortage in several barangays of the highly-urbanized Bacolod due to the prolonged El Niño.
The water rationing started early this month, and Bacolod Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan, said the initiative will continue until May.
Benitez said that instead of Baciwa-PrimeWater in the forefront or helping the city in the “patubig” program, it is the Amity and Chamber Volunteer fire brigades, Red Cross, and other concerned groups assisting the DRRMO with their water tankers in the distribution and rationing of water to various puroks and barangays. | CGC
