ILOILO CITY — A city councilor is sounding the alarm over what he calls a “five-year countdown” to full water access in Iloilo City, warning that the delay reflects a broader national problem of inadequate investment in water infrastructure.
City Councilor Romel Duron said Metro Pacific Iloilo Water’s (MPIW) projection that round-the-clock service will only be possible by 2029 leaves most of the city’s 180 barangays — and seven neighboring municipalities it also serves — dependent on rationing or costly tanker deliveries.
“This is not just an Iloilo problem. If a highly urbanized city like ours can wait this long for 24/7 water, what does that mean for other urban centers?” Duron was heard saying in a radio interview.
According to Duron, only 30% of Iloilo’s barangays currently enjoy stable water supply.
In many communities, households spend ₱1,500 to ₱2,000 per tanker delivery — an unsustainable cost that highlights the urgency for intervention.
MPIW’s long-term plans include tapping the Jalaur River Multi-purpose Project II and building a ₱5-billion desalination plant in Ingore, La Paz.
Duron warned that these could raise rates and won’t solve the shortage in the near term.
The pace of pipeline rehabilitation is another bottleneck. Of 235 kilometers of defective lines, MPIW has replaced only 20 kilometers, with completion targeted in 2026.
“Too slow,” Duron said. “If Metro Pacific can’t keep up, we need national action to open the door to more players now.”
