Maynilad spending P9 B this year

MANILA, Philippines — West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is investing P9 billion this year to accelerate the improvement and expansion of its water and wastewater services.

“Our record investments have contributed significantly to the government’s job generation efforts, while also improving water services for our over nine million customers. We will continue on this track so we can sustain service level improvements in the West Zone,” Maynilad president and chief executive officer Ramoncito Fernandez said.

The bulk of the budget or P6.5 billion is allotted for water infrastructure projects to enhance water supply and pressure.

Of this, P2.6 billion has been earmarked for water sources, operations support, and service expansion programs, which include the rehabilitation of water network facilities, upgrade and construction of pumping stations and reservoirs for better supply and pressure management.

It will also cover the installation of new primary, secondary and tertiary pipelines for water service expansion, and enhancements on the common purpose facility of Ipo Dam.

The remaining P3.9 billion has been allotted for Maynilad’s water loss recovery or non-revenue water management program which covers meter management, leak detection and repair, pipe replacements and district metered area management.

Furthermore, P1.7 billion of its capital expenditures will be spent for wastewater management projects to increase sewerage coverage and maintain network reliability.

The amount will be used for the construction of a sewer network for the sewage treatment plants in Las Piñas and Muntinlupa, installation of new sewer service connections, and maintenance of the existing sewer network.

The rest of the budget will go to the company’s customer service and information program, which covers the modernization of data management and information systems to improve service delivery.

Funding for Maynilad’s infrastructure investments will come from local and international bank loans, as well as from internally generated funds.

The water company expects to generate over 26,000 jobs this year.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the country in terms of customer base. It serves the areas of Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, Malabon, and certain portions of Manila, Quezon City, Makati and Cavite.

Maynilad is owned and managed by Maynilad Water Holdings Co. Inc. a joint venture between Metro Pacific Investments Corp., DMCI Holdings Inc., and Marubeni Corp.