Treñas-Chu slams MPIW over permit delay claims

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu criticized Metro Pacific Iloilo Water on Thursday for what she described as the company’s failure to directly raise concerns about alleged delays in the processing of permits for its desalination plant project in Barangay Ingore, La Paz.

“I would have appreciated it if MPIW had informed me regarding their concern. They have direct communication with me, we even have a Viber group for immediate coordination,” she said in a statement on May 7.

The mayor issued the statement after MPIW reportedly claimed the project encountered an eight-month delay in securing permits for the construction of its desalination facility.

Treñas-Chu said she immediately sought clarification from the Office of the Building Official following MPIW’s statement.

Based on OBO records, the mayor said the application for the project was only officially filed on March 26, 2026, and still carries deficiencies that must be addressed before permits can be issued.

She stressed that the OBO merely follows mandatory safety and building regulations and cannot bypass standard procedures despite the significance of the project.

“The OBO is also providing technical assistance and is only complying with mandatory safety and building regulations. The process cannot simply be skipped,” the mayor said.

Treñas-Chu further took a swipe at MPIW, stressing the importance of “fairness and accuracy” in discussing the issue publicly, and noted that the city government remains supportive of the desalination project as part of Iloilo City’s long-term water security plan.

“It is our dream that this project gets realized because this is a long-term solution to the water supply of the city,” she said.

However, she maintained that compliance with safety standards, documentary requirements, and due process cannot be set aside.