THE Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) aims to increase the water supply in its franchise area by nearly 80 percent in the next two years.
MCWD chairman Jose Daluz III told Superbalita Cebu on Sept. 15, 2021 that six projects are in the pipeline that once approved, would add 180 million liters per day (MLD) of water to the water district’s current supply of 229 MLD of water, or a 78.6 percent increase.
MCWD serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay and Lapu-Lapu and the towns of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela and Cordova.
Daluz cited five desalination projects and one surface water project.
MCWD and its contractor are now just awaiting approval by the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) to start work on desalination plants to be put up in Cebu City, Talisay City and Lapu-Lapu City that will provide a total of 80 million liters of water per day, he said.
Under National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) guidelines, OGCC approval is needed before a notice to proceed can be given to FDC Utilities Inc. which, in partnership with Hitachi Aqua-Tech Engineering Pte. Ltd., presented the unsolicited proposal for these plants.
“For now, the documents, this is for the last stage, are already with the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel because this is a requirement under Neda guidelines that before the three contracts are finally awarded to FDC-Hitachi, there should be a final review by the OGCC. Only after that can we have the final signing of the contract,” Daluz said.
The OGCC is the principal law office of government-owned and -controlled corporations. Among its functions is to review contracts.
If OGCC approval is obtained in October 2021, the contractor could begin work by November on the desalination plants at the South Road Properties in Cebu City and Barangay Marigondon in Lapu-Lapu City, each of which would provide 30 million liters of water daily, and the facility in Talisay City that would produce 20 million liters daily, he said.
According to Daluz, the FDC-Hitachi proposal had not been challenged by any party during a Swiss challenge announced in the middle of this year.
A Swiss challenge is a procurement process where public authorities that receive an unsolicited proposal for a project, invite other companies to submit a better bid.
In addition, Daluz said, other desalination plants will be built in Barangay Inayawan in Cebu City and Barangay Canjulao in Lapu-Lapu City that will provide 60 MLD of water. Private companies have yet to submit their unsolicited proposals for these plants. (PAC / CTL)