CEBU CITY (PNA) – The Cebu Provincial Government and the Manila Water Company Inc. met last Friday for initial discussions on a possible joint venture to address the growing water requirements of the province.

Said meeting was also the first step in the negotiation between the two agencies, an official said.
Cebu Capitol Consultant on Information and Revenue Generation Rory Jon Sepulveda said he hopes the venture will be finalized soon.

The meeting was an “item-for-item” discussion of the unsolicited proposal of Manila Water for a joint investment with Capitol for the development and delivery of treated bulk water.

Among the items discussed were debt-equity sharing and the structure under which the system will be implemented.

”They (Manila Water) submitted the terms and we commented on the terms,” said Provincial Planning and Development Office Chief Adolfo Quiroga on what transpired in the meeting.

The joint venture would serve the growing water supply requirements of several component cities and towns of Cebu only 50 percent of which is reportedly being served.

Manila Water identified Danao, Compostela, Liloan, Consolacion, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Cordova as among those that will benefit from the project.

According to the Cebu Bulk Water Supply Project (CBWSP) proposal, Manila Water will supply 35 million liters per day of potable water. It will be sourced from Luyang River of the town of Carmen.

The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) issued the Joint Investment Guidelines, which will provide the framework for the CBWSP.

Capitol officials who attended the meeting included PB Member Peter John Calderon, Sepulveda, Quiroga and Provincial Administrator Eduardo Habin, Aristotle Batuhan, Manila Water consultant, and other representatives of the company composed the other panel.

Manila Water, along with Viscal Inc. and (Ayala) Stateland Inc., completes the Northern Waterworks and Rivers of Cebu Inc. (NWRC) consortium which signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cebu Provincial Government early this year for the implementation of the Carmen Bulk Water Project.