Alsons swings to net loss in April-June

August 15, 2018 | 12:02 am

ALSONS Consolidated Resources, Inc. (ACR) swung to a P76-million net loss attributable to owners of the parent in the second quarter, a reversal of year ago’s net income of P50.47 million.
In a regulatory filing, the Alcantara-led holding firm reported a 6.2% decline in revenues to P1.81 billion in the April to June period from P1.93 billion a year ago.
Revenues from energy fees, which accounted for most of its topline numbers, dropped to P1.80 billion from P1.927 billion previously.
For the semester, ACR posted a net loss of P95.75 million attributable to the owners of the parent firm, reversing last year’s net income of P86.03 million.
Revenues slipped 2.5% to P3.48 billion in the first six months of the year.
ACR’s core businesses, conducted through its various subsidiaries and associates, are grouped into main categories consisting of energy and power, property development, and other investments.
On Tuesday, shares in the company fell by 2.48% to close at P1.18 apiece. — Victor V. Saulon

Passion and art: Balag at Angud

August 15, 2018 | 12:02 am

ONE OF the toughest choices people have to make is choosing between work they love despite that offers little compensation or a job they hate but which pays the big bucks. What would you pick?
While the question can apply to anyone, it is especially apt for the proverbial “starving” artists — painters, writers, photographers, theater actors, sculptors, etc. — who are essentially compelled to choose between love and money, and are often challenged with the question: “Can you eat your art?”
This dilemma is one of the issues highlighted in Tanghalang Pilipino’s Balag at Angud, an original Filipino musical about the life of revolutionary Filipino artist Luis Yee, Jr., better known as Junyee.
Written by Palanca Award-winner Layeta Bucoy, Balag at Angud tells the true story of Junyee’s life in Agusan del Norte and as an artist, and his art including the 2007 outdoor protest installation called Angud: A Forest Once shown at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’s front lawn.
The musical’s name comes from two of the artist’s works. Balag is a Visayan word for “trellis” or a framework made of bamboo. It was also the name of Junyee’s first open-air one-man show in the 1970s. Balag — installed in UP Diliman where he was studying Fine Arts — was firmly bound by ropes and strings on which protests, poems, and letters hung. At the time Junyee was studying sculpture under Napoleon Abueva, who was not yet a National Artist.
Meanwhile, angud is the term used for the part of a tree trunk where holes are drilled in order to haul the log from the mountains. That part where the hole is located is later chopped and discarded, considered junk because it no longer has no purpose and cannot be sold. A visual argument against illegal logging in the country, Junyee’s piece Angud: A Forest Once represents evidence of how we abuse Mother Earth.
Playwright Rody Vera takes on the title role in the musical, with actors Dune Michael Garcia and Paw Castillo playing Junyee’s child and teenage self.
“We live in a country that ignores the conditions of artists. My whole admiration for Junyee comes from how he was able to remain uncompromising in the face of daily doubts. ‘Bibigay ba ako?’ (Will I give in?) I often ask myself. Pero itong mga pinili niya ay klaro at singular (But what I have chosen is clear and singular),” Mr. Vera said in a statement.
Like many other parents who pressure their children to get a job that pays well, Junyee’s father, Luis (played by Jonathan Tadioan), did not approve of his son’s life choices. A Chinese immigrant, he wanted his son to take over the family business. Junyee tried, working at the Palace Hotel in Agusan which his father asked him to manage. Then 17 years old, he put up an original piece of art he had made at the hotel’s lobby — but the customers did not like it and called it trash. Luis got rid of it, leading to a heated argument between father and son which prompted Junyee to leave home and pursue his true passion: art.
While focusing on the life of an artist, the musical is meant for everyone who has had doubts about their life.
“This musical is not just about one artist’s journey of becoming, but a familiar story of countless others long before Michelangelo’s agony and ecstasy defined his life,” wrote Junyee once.
“I can imagine the feeling and struggle of the first caveman who drew on the cave wall for other cave dwellers to appreciate. ‘Look, look’ he must have said excitedly. ‘This is the deer that we killed yesterday!’ I can imagine his cavemates saying, yes that’s a deer alright! And for sure somebody will say, ‘so what? Can you eat that?!’ So this musical is a story of countless others who struggle to express themselves in their own peculiar ways before my time, and the many others of my time,” he said.
After Junyee left home, he landed a job as a makeup artist in a funeral parlor. One day, he received news from home that his father had died. He went home and applied the makeup on his father’s corpse. Then he enrolled at UP Fine Arts, which is where he met Napoleon Abueva, which led to Junyee’s first creation, Balag.
The musical’s playwright, Ms. Bucoy, said in a statement: “I am hoping that this story would both inspire and pose a challenge to the audience through following the life of an artist ahead of us who struggled for his beliefs in his art and triumphed.”
“Kung ang sining ay kalat, basura, walang silbi, walang kwenta sa paningin ng iba, tutuluyin mo pa ba? Iyan ang ng tanong ng dula (If art is scattered, garbage, useless, has no worth in the eyes of others, would you continue? That is the question posed by the play),” she added.
The cast includes musician Bayang Barrios as Musa or Junyee’s muse; Astarte Abraham, Mia Bolaños, and members of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors’ Company in the ensemble.
The musical is directed by Audie Gemora, whose previous work with Tanghalang Pilipino includes Noli Me Tangere: The Musical and Pangarap Sa Isang Gabi Ng Gitnang Tag-Araw.
“What is so beautiful about Layeta Bucoy’s story is how she personified art: it is as if there were a love story between Junyee and his art which is personified in Musa. I want our spectators to know that if you go after what you were designed to do in this world at all cost, it will pay off. That’s exactly what happened to Junyee,” Mr. Gemora said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Patatag’s Dodjie Fernandez wrote the music, while Upeng Galang-Fernandez is in charge of the musical direction.
The musical’s set design is by artist Toym Imao who is assisted by Marco Viaña. “The set will take inspiration from Junyee’s actual installations, reinterpreting them using materials like bamboo, leaves, and seeds. It’s going to be an art environment where audiences can immerse themselves and get a glimpse into Junyee’s works, while also telling the story on stage,” said Mr. Imao in a statement.
Balag at Angud will run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 16 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater).
Tickets are P1,000 for VIP seating and P800 for Orchestra Side seats. For ticket reservations, group sales, sponsorships, and special performances, contact Juan Marco Lorenzo at 0999-884-3821 or 832-1125 local 1620/1621. Tickets are also available at TicketWorld and the CCP Box Office. Visit https://tanghalangpilipino.com/ or e-mail info@tanghalangpilipino.com for more information.— Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

EastWest Bank profit drops

August 15, 2018 | 12:02 am

EAST WEST Banking Corp. booked a lower net income in the first semester.

EAST WEST Banking Corp. (EastWest Bank) saw its net income inch down in the first half of the year following the suspension of the public school teachers’ salary loan program.
In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, the Gotianun-led bank said it posted a net income of P2.2 billion in the six months ended June, down 11% from the P2.5 billion recorded in the same period last year.
EastWest Bank attributed the decline mainly to the “adverse development” regarding the loan program and its subsequent effect on its wholly owned subsidiary EastWest Rural Bank (EWRB).
EWRB is primarily focused on public school teachers’ salary loans under the Automatic Payroll Deduction System of the Department of Education (DepEd). However, this was suspended until June as DepEd worked on new guidelines.
The total impact of this development in the first half of the year is estimated at around P600 million.
Likewise, the lender’s net income declined by a percent to P1.28 billion in the second quarter from the P1.29 billion in a comparable year-ago period.
The bank’s net interest income climbed 7% to P9.6 billion in the January-June period from a year ago, mainly driven by consumer loans.
Consumer loans account for 72% of EastWest Bank’s total lending book of P162.8 billion.
Excluding EWRB, the bank’s consumer portfolio of car, home and personal loans were up 13%, allowing the bank to minimize margin compression. Business loans were flat at P61.8 billion, comprising 28% of the bank’s entire portfolio.
Fees and commissions stood at P2.1 billion, down 23% due to the lower contribution of its rural bank unit.
Trading income also ended the first half 10% lower due to increasing interest rates and tighter monetary conditions in both international and local markets, the bank said.
Operating expenses stood at P7.2 billion in the first semester, up 11% due to an increase in higher transaction taxes as the new and higher documentary stamp tax came into effect following the enactment of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law this year.
On the other hand, EastWest Bank set aside P1.9 billion in provisions for impairment and credit losses, 4% lower from the previous year.
EastWest Bank’s profits translated to a return on assets of 1.4% and return on equity of 11.1%.
Capital adequacy ratio stood at 13.7% while common equity Tier 1 ratio was at 11.3%.
Overall, the bank’s total assets stood at P319.3 billion at end-June, up 3% year-on-year.
EastWest Bank President Jesus Roberto S. Reyes said significantly higher deposit costs in the first half of the year pushed the bank to be more circumspect on its rate-sensitive business borrowers.
“At any rate, we are guardedly optimistic that for the rest of the year, we will be able to resolve the remaining issues on the rural bank lending program to teachers,” Mr. Reyes was quoted as saying in the statement.
Antonio C. Moncupa, Jr., EastWest Bank vice chairman of the board, said the bank remains committed to public school teachers despite having some issues in the first semester.
“The bank will continue to strongly advocate not only access and lower rates but equally important, inclusive lending programs and equality among lenders. Our teachers deserve nothing less.”
In June, EastWest Bank raised P2.45 billion from the first tranche of its long-term negotiable certificates of deposit (LTNCD) program, which it wants to use to support its funding needs.
Shares in EastWest Bank gained 10 centavos or 0.70% to close at P14.42 each on Tuesday. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Atlas Mining loss widens as costs rise

August 15, 2018 | 12:01 am

ATLAS Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. saw its net loss widen to P696 million in the second quarter from P361.67 million a year ago, as costs and expenses continued to rise.
However, for the six-month period Atlas Mining’s net loss fell to P221 million from P572.6 million during the same period a year ago.
In a regulatory filing, the listed miner said second-quarter revenues surged 52% to P3.5 billion, but costs and operating expenses which ballooned to P3.07 billion from P2.4 billion a year ago.
Six-month revenues jumped 47% to P7.6 billion, which Atlas Mining attributed to higher shipment volumes and rising metal prices.
“Increased shipment volume (in the first half) pushed copper metal content higher by 15% from 36.83 million pounds to 42.47 million pounds. Gold content increased by 60% from 8,365 ounces to 13,380 ounces,” the company said.
Atlas Mining said it benefited from higher realized metal prices, noting average realized copper price rose by 20% to $3.12/lb. from last year’s $2.60/lb. The average realized gold price also went up by 6% to $1,314/oz. from $1,241/oz. a year ago.
Its subsidiary Carmen Copper Corp. increased its milling tonnage by 18% 7.67 million tons of ore, leading to an 8% rise in copper metal production to 39.55 million pounds. — AGAM

PIRA optimistic on microinsurance sector

August 15, 2018 | 12:01 am

THE PHILIPPINE Insurers and Reinsurers Association, Inc. (PIRA) is optimistic on opportunities to expand the microinsurance segment, which could improve insurance penetration in the country.
In a press briefing, PIRA Executive Director Michael F. Rellosa said there is a big opportunity to grow the microinsurance industry to help more Filipinos get insured.
“We see a lot of opportunities to grow the microinsurance segment. Fist of all, Senator [Cynthia A.] Villar is drafting a bill to come up with new products for agri insurance — not only crops but also for livestock,” Mr. Rellosa told reporters yesterday.
Ms. Villar filed on March 20 Senate Bill No. 1759 or the Free Index-Based Crop Insurance Act of 2017 to strengthen the resilience of small farmers against calamities by establishing a program and framework for a free weather index-based crop insurance.
“The government are now opening up to the private sector agricultural insurance so that’s going to be an opportunity for us. We’re creating new products for our farmers,” Mr. Rellosa said, noting that the state-owned Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. is currently the sole firm offering crop insurance for farmers.
Mr. Rellosa added that micro-agri insurance is a first step to diversify microinsurance products. He floated the idea of micro-health and micro-burial insurance products.
Aside from this, PIRA said Filipinos are now seeing the value of getting insured as the country is prone to calamities.
“Since we’re a calamity-prone country, people are realizing the need for protection, so we’re expecting more Filipinos to avail of more products to shield them from calamities,” Mr. Rellosa noted.
Despite this, PIRA education committee chairman Armand M. Pesigan noted sustainability remains one of the biggest challenges in growing the microinsurance industry.
“Sustainability for us is the continuing challenge because as you become successful and you get higher penetration, your exposure also grows,” Mr. Pesigan said. “The more we become successful, the more we need to become conventionally protected, and in effect, our products will become less affordable.”
PIRA is optimistic that more non-life insurers will start offering microinsurance products in the future.
There are only four firms who are currently offering these products such as Malayan Insurance Co., Inc. and Pioneer Insurance & Surety Corp. among others.
Mr. Rellosa said through microinsurance policies, more Filipinos will be able to protect themselves from potential risks, meaning the protection gap will be lessened.
“In the [Southeast Asian] region, the Philippines is one of the countries with very low penetration ratio or the total premiums in a country versus its gross domestic product, which is at [approximately] 3%,” he said. “We’re trying to change that.” — K.A.N. Vidal

Art & Culture (08/15/18)

August 15, 2018 | 12:01 am

Disorder at Hiraya

A PAINTING by Zaldy Garra which will be on view in the Hiraya Gallery exhibit *An Intimacy with Disorder*.

IN THE first solo exhibition of Zaldy Garra, An Intimacy with Disorder, Hiraya Gallery presents a series of portraits showing the artist at his most vulnerable. The artist was born in 1988 in Manila, and has participated in numerous group exhibitions since 2008 and was a four-time semi-finalist in painting at the Metrobank Arts and Design Excellence competitions. The exhibit opens on Aug. 16 and runs until Sept. 30 at the Hiraya Gallery, 530 UN Ave., Ermita, Manila.

Buensuceso at Duemila

JINGGOY BUENSUCESO’s sculpture *The Wound That Never Heals, The God That Never Dies*.

JINGGOY BUENSUCESO’s exhibit, Distortions of Reality, is on view at Galleria Duemila until Aug. 25. Buensuceso is a material and process artist, a sculptor whose practice is not limited to the purely conceptual, but traverses the multi-disciplines of art, from large-scale installations to more intimate series. Galleria Duemila is located at 210 Loring St. 1300 Pasay City. For details on the exhibit, call 831-9990 or 0927-629-4612, e-mail hello@galleriaduemila.com or art@galleriaduemila.com or visit http://www.galleriaduemila.com.

Group show at 1335 Mabini

FORMS PLEASE, a group show featuring works by Gus Albor, Anna-Maria Bogner, Miggy Inumerable, Kanchaca Gupta, Klaus Wanker, and Ian Woo, is ongoing until Sept. 8 at the 1335 Mabini gallery. This group exhibit explores the realm of materiality by showcasing works by artists from Asia and Europe. Working across different disciplines, the works of these artists will inevitably be placed in a dialogue within the gallery’s space, rendering the forms of these works unstable and, in turn, leaving room for poetic mistranslations and diverse esthetic experiences within the bodies of visitors. The 1335 Mabini gallery is at 1335 A. Mabini St., Ermita, Manila.

Artists Talk

AN Artists Talk held will conjunction with the photo exhibit We Will Have Been Young, will feature two Filipino photographers, Geric Cruz and Dennese Victoria, on Aug. 18, 4 p.m., at Mabini Projects, Ermita. The exhibit — presented by Goethe-Institute, the OBSCURA Festival of Photography and the Ostkreuz Agentur der Fotografen — is an interpretation of the youth and the future through the lenses of 12 young Southeast Asian photographers. It is a product of the Southeast Asian Photography Master class 2016-17 in Penang, Malaysia where young photographers from Southeast Asia met for a workshop to produce photographic essays under the mentorship of German photographers Jörg Brüggemann and Tobias Kruse of the Ostkreuz Photographer’s Agency in Berlin. It is ongoing until Aug. 25 at the Mabini Projects, 1335 A. Mabini St., Ermita, Manila.

Youth Orchestra concert

THE award-winning Asian Youth Orchestra will perform on Aug. 16 and 17, 8 p.m., at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater). The performance is part of its 2018 Concert Tour. This is the AYO’s third visit to the Philippines. The AYO’s Manila leg concerts feature soloists Yu-Chien “Benny” Tseng on violin and Anna Tsybuleva on piano, with conductors James Judd and Richard Pontzious. Program for Aug. 16 consists of Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1, Barber’s Violin Concerto, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise and Symphonic Dances, while Wagner’s Overture to Die Meistersinger, Selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Gershwin’s An American in Paris will be performed on Aug. 17. Tickets range from P200 to P1,000. For inquiries, call the CCP at 832-3704, 832-3706 or e-mail ccpsalesandpromo@gmail.com.

Can domestic savings cover investment needs?

August 15, 2018 | 12:00 am

How PSEi member stocks performed — August 14, 2018

August 15, 2018 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Tuesday, August 14, 2018.

Philippine Stock Exchange’s most active stocks by volume turnover — August 14, 2018

Duterte advises brass he might step down

August 14, 2018 | 9:39 pm

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday, Aug. 14, said he advised officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) at a recent command conference that he was thinking of stepping down.
“I want you to know that I am thinking of stepping down because I’m tired,” Mr. Duterte said in his remarks at the launching at Malacañang of business advocacy group Go Negosyo’s “Pilipinas Angat Lahat” program as he recalled his recent joint command conference with the AFP and the PNP.
He added: “My chase against graft and corruption seems to be endless and it has contaminated almost all government departments and offices.”
“I’m tired and I don’t think I can fulfill the promise of ending these problems.”
He said the problem on drugs will “not end” by the end of his term.
Mr. Duterte also said he ordered court martial proceedings against Brigadier General Edwin Leo Torrelavega, commander of the AFP Health Service Command. “Create a court where he will appear in a court with his peers and give him the most humiliating….Fire them all,” he said.
The President then fired on the spot Philippine Military Academy (PMA) comptroller Hector Maraña. He said the official “malversed” P15 million in cadets’ allowance.
“I love my soldiers, even those who didn’t graduate. But do not go into corruption. I will give you hell,” he said.
“Send the guy to hell,” he said on signing Mr. Maraña’s dismissal papers.
The President also claimed that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was “speculating” that a ton of shabu had slipped past Customs officers. “There’s no more shabu laboratory here because they know that if we meet in one corner, I’ll just kill them,” he said.
“I just say, do your job, better luck next time,” he added.
With regards to her constitutional successor, Vice-President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo, he said: “I am hesitant to suggest a constitutional succession. I have nothing against Robredo. She’s a lawyer, you’ve heard her talk, but I do not think she can improve on anything here.”
“I am getting exasperated. I do not think in the limited three years remaining, I don’t think I can make a dent,” he also said.
He also jokingly said that “There is another dictator in the offing, not me, but she has a Duterte surname. If you go to Davao at 12 midnight everything closes.”
“We have to be careful of the next president,” he added.
Explaining why he conveyed his wish to step down to the AFP and PNP, Mr. Duterte said, “They are only the organizations (that) can control….You must maintain order. That’s your job. Whatever you want to do after, I leave it up to you.”
“No Illusions about dictatorship. At this time, I am willing to step down and retire. Maraming salamat po (Thank you very much),” Mr. Duterte said.

Gordon: Tulfos, PTV4 execs liable for graft

August 14, 2018 | 9:36 pm

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
FORMER tourism secretary Wanda T. Tulfo-Teo and her brother Ben T. Tulfo, as well as a number of PTV4 officials may face graft charges in connection with a controversial advertising deal involving the Department of Tourism (DoT), PTV4, and the Tulfo-owned Bitag Media Unlimited, Inc.
Senator Richard J. Gordon told reporters after the inquiry on the advertising deal Tuesday led by the blue-ribbon committee which he heads: “Graft. I don’t think it will be a case for plunder. First of all, they used the money for TV advertising, it wasn’t pocketed. And they made a business out of it, that’s the bad part. It seemed that aid was given to the business of the sibling.”
The issue surfaced last April when a Commission on Audit (CoA) report flagged the payments made to Mr. Tulfo’s Bitag Media by PTV 4 for airing advertisements of the DoT. At the time, the DoT was headed by Ms. Teo.
According to PTV4 President and General Manager Dino Antonio C. Apolonio, about P75 million was paid to Bitag Media while the government station earned P19.8 million from the DoT ads.
At the hearing, Ms. Teo maintained that the ad placements went through the proper channels and processes.
“With confidence, I can say that there is nothing illegal in the said contract. The transaction was between DoT and PTV4. It is a government-to-government contract within the executive department,” she said in her opening statement.
Ms. Teo said further she did not know that her brother was identified with the show, “Kilos Pronto,” which aired the DoT ads in the government channel.
“They (PTV4) could’ve told me. If I knew it, I would not have signed the contract,” she said.
For his part, Mr. Tulfo said Bitag Media has delivered with its contract with PTV4 and has done nothing illegal with the advertising deal. He maintained there was no conflict of interest since Bitag Media’s contract was with PTV4, not DoT.
Mr. Gordon, however, pointed out that the signed contract mentioned there would be ad placement by the DoT.
“In the contract that you signed, you already know that PTNI (referring to PTV4) and DoT have a contract. And you know the Secretary of Tourism is your sister,” Mr. Gordon asked Mr. Tulfo.
“There was no connection with my sister. I did not knock in their doors or asked for a favor or asked for advertisements or commercial,” Mr. Tulfo said, adding that he was not “close” with his sister.
For their part, officials of PTV4 clarified that it was their decision to place the DoT ads and that they were not influenced into choosing to air the DoT advertisements in Mr. Tulfo’s show.
“No one suggested. We suggested to DoT the proposal,” Mr. Apolonio said.
Mr. Gordon was not convinced that Ms. Teo or PTV4 officials were unaware of the possible conflict of interest from the advertising deal since the parties involved were clearly stated in the contracts.
“I don’t think they didn’t know it was Tulfo. They should’ve known. They should have blown the whistle, ‘Boss, that’s conflict of interest, we may get implicated,’” the senator told reporters after the hearing.

Duterte to China and EU: ‘Rethink’ your policies

August 14, 2018 | 9:34 pm

By Arjay L. Balinbin
President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday, Aug. 14, talked tough against the People’s Republic of China, demanding that it should “rethink” its policy in the disputed South China Sea region.
The President also told the European Union (EU), which has been critical of his war on drugs, to review its human rights policies. “You might want to take a closer look at your policies… You don’t humiliate leaders. You don’t send investigators here. That is really not allowed,” Mr. Duterte said in his remarks at the launching at Malacañang of business advocacy group Go Negosyo’s “Pilipinas Angat Lahat” program.
As for China’s behavior in the South China Sea, the President said: “They have to rethink that because that would be a flashpoint someday.”
He added: “And [I’m] even warning. You cannot create an island [there]. It’s man-made, and you say that the air[space] above this artificial island is yours. That is wrong. Because those waters are considered international sea and the right of innocent passage is guaranteed.”
“It does not need any permission to sail through the open seas. And if it’s nearby territorial water, you guarantee what you would call the right of innocent passage,” the President also said.
His spokesman Harry L. Roque, Jr. last Monday said that the Philippine government will continue to assert its sovereign rights over the disputed territories in the South China Sea despite the latest incident where a Filipino pilot was threatened by the Chinese Navy while flying over the area.
“They will not stop us. We will continue with our flights. We will assert our sovereignty. And if need be, Filipino pilots will die for our sovereignty,” Mr. Roque said in a press briefing at the Palace.
He also said that an investigation will be conducted. “And if the information is true, the good news is that the pilot did not cower at the Chinese threat and carried on with his flight. That means that we are upholding our title, that we are asserting our sovereignty. We conducted the flight over our islands,” the President’s spokesman added.

Water service interruptions announced

August 14, 2018 | 9:32 pm

By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor
MAYNILAD WATER Services, Inc. will reduce water production because of the increase in turbidity at Ipo Dam resulting in increased sediment concentrations in the raw water it distributes, Metro Manila’s west zone concessionaire said on Tuesday.
“There has been a significant increase in the turbidity of the raw water coming from Ipo Dam due to strong rains brought on by the southwest monsoon or habagat,” Maynilad said in a statement.
“This has constrained us to reduce the production of our La Mesa Treatment Plants. Reducing our production will enable us to remove increased sediments from the raw water during treatment before release of potable water to the distribution system,” explained the statement.
“Because of this, some of our customers currently have low pressure to no water supply, and we are now deploying mobile water tankers to deliver potable water to these areas,” it added.
The company said its water production will be maintained at reduced levels because rains over the Ipo watershed continue to stir up sediments in the raw water of the dam.
“In our efforts to optimize the limited supply, we are constrained to implement service interruptions daily, until such time as the turbidity situation improves. Affected areas include some barangays in Bulacan, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Quezon City, Manila, Pasay, Makati, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and Cavite,” Maynilad said.
It said the specific areas that might be affected and the duration of the service interruptions per area would vary daily, “Depending on the level of turbidity in the raw water coming from Ipo Dam.”
Maynilad advised its customers in the affected areas to store water when supply is available.
“To mitigate the effect of our reduced production, we are deploying mobile water tankers to deliver potable water to affected areas.” it said.
“Please expect some discoloration in the water supply following the resumption of service. Should this happen, let water flow from your faucet for a few seconds until the water clears.” it added.
Separately, Manila Water Co., Inc. said it would proceed with its pipe-laying and interconnection activity along EDSA’s southbound service road near the corner of Shaw Blvd.
The east zone water concessionaire said the activity would result in temporary water service interruption affecting around 466,000 population in 93,237 households, commercial and business establishments in 33 barangays in Mandaluyong City, San Juan City, Pasig City, and Quezon City.
The water interruption will begin on Thursday, Aug. 16 at 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 17.