Firm to invest P450M in Iloilo water system

PRIVATE water utility firm South Balibago Resources Inc. (SBRI) made a formal offer last week to set up a P450-million water treatment and distribution system to supply high-density areas in Iloilo City currently unserved by the local water utility.

The proposal involves putting up a water treatment plant near the Jalaur River in Pototan, Iloilo capable of producing 10 million liters per day (MLD) of potable water; the laying of 17-kilometer transmission pipe from Pototan to Iloilo City, and installation of 60-kilometer distribution pipes in subdivisions traversing seven villages in the city’s Jaro district.

Once completed, more than 12,000 households and commercial establishments in Jaro district would benefit from SBRI’s Level III water system project, SBRI managing director Cristina Isabelle Alejandro told the Iloilo City council in a briefing.

SBRI is a subsidiary of Balibago Waterworks System Inc. (BWSI), a private water utility firm established in 1958.

The company currently operates 46 franchises (including those of SBRI) and has seven franchises under construction. Its franchises span 15 provinces, namely Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Laguna, Batangas, Iloilo, Bohol and Saranggani.

SBRI has been serving parts of Iloilo province for the past five years. It has been operating a Level III water supply and distribution system in Passi City since 2011; a bulk water supply in Pototan serving the Zarraga Water District since 2014; and is currently negotiating a Level III water supply and distribution project in the Municipality of Bingawan.

It also serves hotels and resorts in Panglao, Bohol from water sources 30 kilometers away in the municipality of Corella. In Saranggani province, SBRI recently bagged a bulk water supply contract to serve the Maasim Water District.