The Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project, a public-private partnership (PPP) between Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., (AIC), subsidiary Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. and the Davao City Water District (DCWD), continues to contribute to Davao City’s socio-economic benefits by enabling water security, among other advantages.
Before AIC Water’s entry, only 77 percent of DCWD’s customers had 24/7 access to potable water. After the DCWSP’s operations, DCWD can now extend 24/7 potable water access to 96 percent of its customers.
Considered the country’s largest operating bulk water supply facility, DCWSP currently supplies 300 million liters per day (MLD), to more than 1 million residents of Davao City.
“For over 10 years now, AIC Water has been continuously committed to our goal of enabling businesses and uplifting communities across the Philippines through sustainable water solutions,” said Cosette Canilao, AIC president and chief executive.
In an independent study by the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), AIC Water, through the DCWSP, contributed more than P15.5 billion worth of investments in the city. It also generated P188 million in government tax revenue for the city in 2024 alone, further fueling Davao City’s economic development.
Moreover, the ADDU report said the DCWSP generated P1.1 billion in gross revenue and contributions to Davao City’s gross regional domestic product in 2024.
“The DCWSP is an example of how PPPs can have a meaningful impact on the communities it serves,” said Ramon Aboitiz Tuason, AIC assistant vice president for operations.
Further, the DCWSP illustrates how private capital can contribute to social and economic benefits for the public.
Meanwhile, Canilao also said that AIC’s goal is to replicate Davao’s success in other provinces, such as the planned P5.12 billion bulk water project in Iloilo City.
Similar to the DCWSP, the proposed Iloilo City Bulk Water Supply Project is an unsolicited PPP with the Iloilo City government to deliver 86 MLD of potable water to several households and distributors.
“The PPP model empowers both sectors to have improved synergy in resolving water supply issues in their respective communities. Not only are we able to strategically invest in sectors that need attention, the PPP also allows a clear separation of functions between supplying and distributing water, maximizing operational efficiency and effectiveness,” Canilao said.
AIC Water’s portfolio stands at 320 MLD, empowering communities with sustainable water. It operates the country’s largest bulk water treatment facility through Apo Agua in Davao City; provides end-to-end water and wastewater services to the 2,000-hectare footprint of AIC Economic Estates; and holds a strategic stake at the Balibago Waterworks, the country’s fourth-largest water concessionaire.
