After Marcos rebuke, Treñas presses MPIW to deliver results

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu has renewed her call for Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) to accelerate infrastructure upgrades and deliver tangible results following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s criticism of inadequate water service across the country.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address, Marcos lamented that about six million consumers nationwide suffer from poor water service, with many complaining that water does not reach their faucets.

The president vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the negligent and inadequate delivery of this essential public service.

Treñas, who has consistently raised concerns about Iloilo City’s worsening water situation, welcomed Marcos’ remarks as a “necessary wake-up call” and urged MPIW to provide a clear, results-driven plan.

She recently met with MPIW officials to request updates on how the utility plans to address the growing number of complaints from city residents.

“We want to hear directly from them about what steps they’re taking and what immediate progress is being made to fix the situation our people are enduring,” she said.

While MPIW has launched several infrastructure projects since taking over in 2019, Treñas said the pace of improvements continues to fall short of public expectations.

The city government is also pursuing a public-private partnership with Aboitiz InfraCapital, the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, for a bulk water supply project.

The proposal, which has received original proponent status, is currently undergoing the Swiss challenge process.

“What matters most is preventing any monopoly in water distribution,” she said.

“This project is designed to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply for all Ilonggos.”

MPIW Chief Operating Officer Angelo David Berba admitted in a press conference last week that current water supply remains far from sufficient to meet the city’s daily demand of over 100 million liters.

As of now, MPIW’s household coverage stands at just 27 percent.

The utility is relying on multiple short- and long-term solutions to close the supply gap.

One key project is the PHP2.4 billion desalination plant in Ingore, expected to produce an additional 65 million liters per day (MLD) by late 2027.

MPIW has also placed PHP400 million worth of orders with Hitachi Japan for modular treatment plants to be deployed in high-demand areas.

Marcos also announced that the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), which oversees more than 500 water districts, is implementing strict measures against underperforming utilities and their joint venture partners.

MPIW is a joint venture established in November 2018 between Metro Pacific Water and the government-owned Metro Iloilo Water District, which is under LWUA supervision.

It officially began operations in July 2019 under a 25-year concession agreement to rehabilitate, expand, and operate MIWD’s water distribution system in Iloilo City and nearby municipalities.