MAYNILAD Water Services, Inc. has spent more than P41 billion to improve and expand its wastewater services since the government privatized the operation of Metro Manila’s water services in 1997, the west zone concessionaire said on Tuesday.
“Maynilad only got out of corporate rehabilitation in 2008, so we had just 11 years to work on expanding wastewater services. Despite this, we have managed to build new wastewater facilities that now prevent untreated effluents from polluting our waterways. This is where all the bill payments of our customers go,” said Ramoncito S. Fernandez, Maynilad president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
It said the P41-billion investment was used to build 19 new wastewater treatment facilities and upgrade of three existing ones, buy 89 new vacuum trucks for septic tank cleaning, and install 180 kilometers of new sewer lines, and maintenance of the sewerage system, among others.
It said the capital spending includes the construction of four additional sewage treatment plants (STPs) that are currently being built in Valenzuela, Las Piñas, and Tunasan and Cupang in Muntinupa.
With the investment, Maynilad said it had expanded its sewerage services to about 2 million people by end-2019, from only around 600,000 in 1997 when the operations of state-led Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) were first privatized.
“Among Maynilad’s recently completed STPs are those in Pasay and Parañaque, bringing the total combined sewage treatment capacity of its 22 wastewater facilities to 664,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day,” the company said.
Maynilad said it allocated P200 billion for the continued expansion of the wastewater infrastructure until 100% sewerage coverage in its service area is attained by 2037.
“This amount includes the P1.1 billion committed cost to rehabilitate five esteros in Manila that drain out to Manila Bay. Meanwhile, areas that are not yet connected to Maynilad’s sewerage system are provided septic tank cleaning services,” it said.
Maynilad, a concessionaire of the MWSS, serves the cities of Manila, except portions of San Andres and Sta. Ana. It also covers Quezon City west of San Juan River, West Avenue, EDSA, Congressional, Mindanao Avenue, the northern part starting from the districts of the Holy Spirit and Batasan Hills.
Down south, it serves Makati west of South Super Highway, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila; and the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite province.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which has majority stake in Maynilad, is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — VVS
