Iloilo City receives 20 hand washing facilities

Iloilo City received 20 hand washing facilities on Tuesday from Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) to help in the fight against COVID-19.

A total of 20 hand washing facilities were turned over by MPIW to the Iloilo City government on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 in a ceremony held at the ground floor of the Iloilo City Hall as part of the corporation’s launching of its “Ilonggo Tatap Community” program.

According to Engr. Bernardo Mañosca, Chief Operating Officer of MPIW, the program aims to provide Ilonggos with more access to clean water and at the same time promote water conservation and public sanitation in general.

“The program aims to provide further access to clean water to the Ilonggo community. To complement our program, we will also be launching an information education campaign with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project to raise public awareness on public sanitation and water conservation,” he said during his speech.

Aside from handwashing facilities, MPIW also turned over to the Iloilo City government a set of information and education campaign materials about the importance of handwashing.

The handwashing facilities including the education campaign materials will be installed in the city’s most critical areas particularly in barangay centers, health centers, and public markets.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jerry Treñas who received the donation on Tuesday expressed gratitude to MPIW and USAID for the highly essential donation as it will complement the city’s campaign against Covid-19.

He also lauded the strong public private partnership in the city and highlighted how the water system in the city improved with the administration of the private sector.

“When I was congressman, I pushed for the privatization of Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD). And as you can see madasig ang improvement,” he said.

“Nalipay gid ako sa partnership, mahatagan naton handwashing facilities nga magamit sang aton mga health facilities kag iban pa nga government facilities,” he added.