Cebu group eyes Panglao water supply
By KIT BAGAIPO
WATER DEAL. Panglao town Mayor Doloreich Dumaluan conferring with Mactan Rock president Antonio Tompar, a Cebu-based water provider, during a public consultation last Thursday to supply water in the resort area of barangays Tawala, Bolod and Danao. Resort owners and residents in barangays Tawala, Bolod and Danao in Panglao town welcomed the entry of Cebu-based water supply specialist Mactan Rock Industries during a public consultation held last Thursday at the Tawala barangay hall.
Panglao Mayor Doloriech Dumaluan told the Chronicle that potable water is expected to flow by March next year as Mactan Rock president Antonio Tompar assured that they will
start the project once a barangay resolution will be adopted by Tawala officials and the corresponding permit from the office of the mayor.
"I did not hear any opposition to the interest of Mactan Rock to provide potable water during the public hearing," Dumaluan stressed, "as this will solve the long-sought after solution to the water problem [in the resort area]."
The project could be undertaken through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme or maybe privately owned, Dumaluan said.
Once the barangay resolution and mayor's permit are issued, Mactan Rock will enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Alona Beach Community Foundation.
The mayor assured that the project will commence in January and as Mactan Rock's timetable had it, they could start supplying within three months.
According to Dumaluan, the entry of Mactan Rock will not affect ongoing negotiations with Bohol Water Utilities Inc. (BWUI) which have also expressed interest to supply the much-needed potable and clean water in the town.
Presently, negotiations with BWUI are stalled as the Panglao Sangguniang Bayan (SB) is still reviewing the water rate proposal of BWUI.
"There is no problem if both BWUI and Mactan Rock will come in because there is no exclusive franchise required [by the latter]," the mayor explained, "[this will] encourage competition [among the two water utilities]."
Resort owners and the Alona community have been complaining of the availability of potable water in the area.
The public consultation was attended by barangay officials of Tawala, Bolod and Danao, purok leaders, resort owners and residents.
Dumaluan said, Mactan Rock is an environment friendly alternative since the company will build a wastewater treatment plant aside from the desalination process facility that will filter salty water into mineral water with "zero waste discharge".
Mactan Rock will also install their own pipelines going to their consumers.
Mayor Dumaluan said the company had a previous offer to sell their water at P25 per cubic meter. But the mayor expects the selling price will be much lower depending on the operation and maintenance costs.
Mactan Rock is a successful water treatment venture that supplies many resorts and hotels in Cebu City including business establishments and some parts of Cebu's downtown areas.
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