METRO ILOILO Bulk Water Supply Corp. (MIB) said its ongoing upgrade of treatment facilities, which is expected to be completed by end-March, will ensure stable supply in Iloilo City amid the dry spell due to El Niño. “We already completed the construction of the infiltration gallery. This is the source of the additional raw water supply… (with) a design capacity of at least 10 million liters per day (MLD),” MIB Chief Operating Officer Rolixto V. Jodieres Jr. said last week. The company has also contracted the services of small bulk water providers to augment its supply during the dry season. The system upgrade is part of the development programs following the joint venture project of Metro Pacific Water (MPW) and Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) last December. The partnership involves P12.3-billion in water facility improvements. MPW is a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., maintains a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

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