THE barangay council of Mambaling, Cebu City has pushed for the revocation of the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) of a desalination plant due to residents’ complaints about disrupted local water pump operations.
Barangay Secretary Kimberly Ross Tabalin revealed during the Cebu City Council’s executive session on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, that the operations of the plant, run by Pilipinas Water Resources Inc. (PWRI), caused some water pumps in Mambaling and nearby barangays Basak-San Nicolas and Duljo Fatima to cease supplying water.
Residents from five sitios in Mambaling, who rely on the pumps, filed complaints, prompting the barangay council to recommend revoking PWRI’s ECC in December 2024. Issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), an ECC certifies that a project or activity has undergone a thorough review to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
Effect
In the same session, a representative from the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) said the plant is vital for ensuring a sustainable water supply during drought and summer seasons.
John Macabinta, corporate planning department manager at MCWD, warned that halting the plant’s operations would affect 25,000 households in Cebu City.
He said the facility supplies 5,000 cubic meters per day, a figure expected to gradually increase to 25,000 cubic meters per day in 18 months.
Macabinta said that they are hoping for the Cebu City Council to allow MCWD to continue taking supply from PWRI, since the latter has been attending to the residents’ concerns.
The plant started its operations on July 31, 2024, after a delay of nearly one year. Its service area includes Basak, Mambaling, Duljo-Fatima, and nearby barangays.
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Resolution
Before the Mambaling Barangay Council passed the resolution asking for the revocation of PWRI’s ECC in December, Tabalin said PWRI representatives had met with residents, and the company had been attending to complaints.
PWRI provided solutions to the complaints about the pumps by supplying water to the residents.
Despite the company’s efforts, Tabalin said the number of complaints grew.
The resolution was submitted to the DENR, which later advised the barangay council to forward the matter to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7.
The EMB 7 later referred it to the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), which has the authority to deal with matters regarding water facilities, according to Tabalin.
If the plant’s operations would be stopped, Macabinta said MCWD would be affected.
He said the water distributor’s current production is 300,000 cubic meters per day, which is below the daily demand of 500,000 cubic meters.
When asked why water pumps had dried up, Macabinta said he lacked expertise but noted no similar issues had been reported at PWRI’s desalination plant in Basak, Lapu-Lapu City.
The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) previously recommended a cease-and-desist order for the desalination plant, citing its location in an environmentally critical area under Environmental Management Bureau Memorandum Circular 2014-005.
Cenro legal officer Klive Erick Ravanes said their recommendation to Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia was forwarded to EMB 7 for further action.
Garcia had earlier announced plans to convene a meeting with stakeholders, including PWRI, MCWD and Cenro, to address the concerns.
The mayor directed City Legal Office head Santiago Ortiz Jr. to hold a conference to hear all sides before making a decision. (JPS)