THE WAWA Bulk Water Supply project has won the approval of the Dumagat and Remontado indigenous peoples (IPs) of Antipolo, one of the requirements for proceeding with construction, the WawaJVCo, Inc. said.
On July 28 and 29, WawaJVCo, Inc. pursued negotiations and eventually forged a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Antipolo IPs for their support and approval of the construction of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project – Tayabasan Multi-Basin System.
The project aims to boost the water supply for Metro Manila and Rizal province.
The company said the agreement enables the project to move to the next step in the “Free, Prior, and Informed Consent” (FPIC) process in accordance with the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997.
WawaJVCo, Inc. said the negotiations represent the first FPIC process to resume after the lockdown protocols due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The company’s authorized representative, Melvin John Tan, said he is looking forward to advancing the FPIC process in the Montalban ancestral domain. WawaJVCo, Inc. is a joint venture between Prime Metroline Infrastructure Holdings Corp. (Prime Infra) and the San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and Developers Group, Inc. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
