Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco praised Manila Water, one of its concessionaires, for expanding its reach in building water facilities in the provinces of Isabela, Pangasinan, and in Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
“This is indeed a milestone in the history of our water sy.pageonestem,” says Velasco. “We take pride in Manila Water’s ever-growing presence not only in our country but in other parts of Asia, as well.”
According to Manila Water president and CEO Ferdinand M. dela Cruz, such an expansion is part of the water agency’s robust pipeline through 2020. “This will contribute to our goal of achieving a net income of P11.5 billion by 2020,” he says. “We are eager to share our service quality and technical expertise to these markets—expertise that Manila Water has developed over the last 20 years.”
Manila Water has recently partnered with Calasiao Water District in Pangasinan and has inked a contract to provide wastewater services and bulk water supply to Ilagan City in Isabela.
The company has also widened its critical presence and expert cadence in the pristine island of Boracay through Boracay Island Water Co., earmarking more than P4 billion to meet the growing demands for a reliable water and sewerage system in the island.
Overseas, the water agency has also successfully acquired a momentous stake in Eastern Water Resources and Development Management Public Company Limited, a publicly listed water supply and distribution company in Thailand, and has also expanded its presence in Yangon, Myanmar, and Bandung, Indonesia as part of its plan to meet an ambitious profit target by 2020.
Velasco credits Manila Water’s successful expansion to the Public-Private Partnership instituted by former President Fidel V. Ramos in 1997.
He said, “The successful PPP legal framework started in 1997 by President Ramos through a Concession Agreement in the water industry made this possible. We are now exporting to ASEAN countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, and I believe that there is more to come.”
“Water PPP can work in many places provided the regulatory framework is clear, transparent and consistent,” Dela Cruz added. “An output-based scheme is appropriated for the private sector to provide an environment to perform well and in an efficient manner. Water PPP has worked in Metro Manila. It can work in many more places in Asia. Manila Water is a testimony that Asians can solve Asian water issues.”