MindanaoToday.com | Coop offers COWD emergency supply
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A cooperative enterprise that has been for over a decade engaged in surface water treatment serving upland villages in this city and in Libona town, Bukidnon, on Thursday, March 21, expressed willingness to sell supply under emergency purchase scheme to the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD).
COWD has been in midst of a disputed debt of over P426 million with its major bulk water supplier, the Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Incorporated (COBI) that has accumulated since 2021. Its 2017 contract with COBI, a subsidiary of Manny V. Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Water, has been under renegotiation since last week.
COBI may cut off water supply that could potentially affect half of COWD’s over 146 thousand customers if talks fail. The bulk water supplier has given disconnection notices twice to COWD with an extended full-payment deadline on April 12.
On Thursday, Jed Lasmarias, general manager of Kyogojo Engineering Service Cooperative (KESC), said they, together with a 12-member Mindanao Cooperatives Water Service Federation (MCWS) will be submitting a formal emergency purchase proposal if COBI cuts off its supply lines to COWD.
Lasmarias, who also sits as MCWS vice-chairperson, said they are ready to deliver 180,000 liters of water per day immediately and additional 170,000 before the year ends once construction of additional water-treatment is completed. These, he said, could augment the water supply requirement of COWD.
Gerry Caño, director of the COWD board and technical working group head on the disputed COBI P426-million billings, on Friday, March 22, said they have not receive a communication from KESC-MCWS regarding the offer.
KESC and MCWS inked on January 2, 2020 a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) for the former’s expansion of water treatment facilities and distribution lines to upland areas left unserved by the COWD. MCWS raised an initial P132-million initial investment from its federation members.
Under the JVA, KESC-MCWS has been providing potable water to some 15,000 households, starting with Barangay Lumbia with 2,500 households in 2010 and later expanded to eight other villages to include the entire Indahag and portions of Baikingon, Bayanga, Camaman-an, Dansolihon, Gusa, Macasandig, and Nazareth. They also provide some 10,000 liters of water everyday to the villages of Gango, Kiliog, and Kinawe of Libona town, Bukidnon.
MCWS federation members include the First Integrated Community Cooperative (FICCO), Oro Integrated Cooperative, Xavier University Community Credit Coop, Del Monte Philippines Incorporated Employees and Community Credit Cooperative, Allied Services Multipurpose Cooperative, Oro Savings and Sharing Cooperative, City Hall Employees Multipurpose Cooperative, Provincial Capitol Employees Multipurpose Cooperative, Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company Community Multipurpose Cooperative, Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School Faculty, Retirees, Employees and Students Multipurpose Cooperative, and Philippine Public Safety College Regional Training School-10 Employees and Staff Multipurpose Cooperative.
Earlier, Rio Verde Water Consortium Incorporated (Rio Verde) which has water treatment facilities in Baungon town, Bukidnon, has also offered COWD direct supply under emergency purchase because of the existing COWD-COBI contract. COBI has been tapping Rio Verde for the bulk water it supplies to COWD.
Caño said whoever can give COWD cheaper rates, be it Rio Verde, KESC-MCWS or other entity, may be allowed to avail of their emergency purchase scheme,
Lasmarias said they have been selling P30 per cubic meter of water to customers, but MCWS-affiliated cooperative members get a 2-peso per cubic meter rebate and dividend every year. They also provide bulk water to six subdivisions with 200 to 400 households at a cheaper rate compared to individual customers.
Aduna kini kapasidad nga 10MLD o 100,000 liters per day nga mi supply sa pipila ka area sa Libona ug Cagayan de Oro.
Anaa sa 10-Mil ngadto sa 15-Mil ka mga household ang kasamtangan nga gisupplyan sa maong Water Treatment Facility.
Sa mga membro sa Kooperatiba nga naka konektar sa Kyogojo aduna kini diskwento nga 2 Pesos per cubic meter.
Sa karon anaa sa 300 pesos per 10 cubic ang water rate sa Kyogojo.
Sa dugang detalye atong paminawon ang pamahayag ni General Manager Lasmarias.