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Thursday, June 09, 2005
Mountain barangays to get water
Mountain barangays in Cebu will have easier access to water, a basic necessity, as soon as the community outreach project of a bulk water supplier-company reaches them.
Mactan Rock Industries Inc. (MRII) is initiating a water supply project to the mountain barangays in Cebu, in line with President Gloria Arroyo’s “Patubig sa Barangay” program.
According to MRII president and chief executive officer Antonio Tompar, the company will partner with the interested barangays in the water supply project, which will utilize and process into potable water the clean water from rivers near the barangays.
“The barangays will not spend a single centavo. Instead, they will earn ten percent of MRII’s net earnings in the respective barangays. This, on top of the taxes we are obliged to pay them. What we will ask the barangay is for them to help us guard the infrastructure that we will install and to help us read the consumption meters in each household. We will do the collecting,” he told reporters.
Tompar said the project is part of MRII’s desire to help the government fulfill its promise of providing basic services, including water, to its constituents.
He said MRII is now doing the project in four barangays.
These are Banilad, Busay, Sapangdaku and Pulang- bato. Two more barangays are set to follow.
MRII will invest some P100 million to set up the water supply facilities in these six barangays. Tompar said the Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines are willing to finance the project.
He said river water is a cheaper source of water than using sea water, which requires desalination. River water is also plenty, especially during rainy seasons.
“Aside from bringing water to their homes, utilizing river water will also lessen the chances of floods and water wastage,” Tompar said.
He said easy access to water in an area also brings about development, as what he has experienced when he implemented the same water supply concept in Arpili, Balamban, a barangay located in the western part of Cebu.
“When MRII started the project in Arpili, there were only a few houses in the barangay, but when the project was implemented, people started to locate in the area,” Tompar said.
MRII has branches and clients in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. (JBN)
(June 9, 2005 issue)
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