By Louine Hope U. Conserva, Correspondent
ILOILO CITY — South Balibago Resources, Inc. (SBRI), a partnership between Balibago Waterworks System, Inc. and La Filipina Uy Gongco Corp., has launched its P500-million water supply and distribution project in Jaro District, Iloilo City, with an initial capacity for 12,000 households.
SBRI President Criselle P. Alejandro said they are penetrating areas where the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD), Iloilo City’s main water provider, has no pipelines.
“We only entered the areas where MIWD does not have pipelines. So there is really no competition,” she said during the launch on Sept 20.
The project consists of a treatment plant with a 10,000-cubic meter (cu.m) per day capacity, sourcing water from the Jalaur River; a 17-kilometer (km) primary transmission line; and 100 kms of distribution pipelines in 34 subdivisions and three barangays in Jaro.
The company has started supplying water to five barangays and eight subdivisions.
Ms. Alejandro said they will continue to expand to other barangays as well as double the plant’s capacity to 20,000 cu.m per day.
“So that we can already service up to 24,000 households,” she said.
SBRI charges P357.50 per 10 cu.m.
CASES
Ms. Alejandro said there are currently two pending court cases filed against them by MIWD.
One is a case against the Iloilo City government and SBRI, seeking nullification of the ordinance granting the franchise. The other is a case against SBRI and the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) for the revocation of the certificate of public convenience issued by the latter to the company.
Ms. Alejandro declined to discuss other details of the cases, but said they are confident that their license to operate is legal.
Iloilo City Mayor Joe S. Espinosa III, meanwhile, asserted that the franchise given to SBRI is legal, citing that there is a Supreme Court decision allowing the local government unit to issue a non-exclusive franchise to a private water provider.
SBRI was awarded the franchise by the city government on April 18, 2016.
