Contract for Cavite bulk water supply project soon up for bidding

MANILA, Philippines — Preparations are underway to bid out the contract for the Cavite-wide Bulk Water Supply Project this year as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) turned over the water rights to the Cavite local government.

In a text message to The STAR, DENR Undersecretary and Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) head Carlos Primo David said the water rights for the massive water project was assigned to the provincial government of Cavite in early December.

He said plans for the project should be drafted while competitive bidding should take place within the first quarter.

 “The next step is to draw up a plan on how the water will be distributed to the three million plus residents equitably and efficiently. Cavite will bid out this province-wide project to a single developer. All this within the first quarter of 2024, hopefully,” David said.

The DENR official said the Cavite-wide Bulk Water Supply Project is one of the biggest water projects in a decade.

This is also the second provincial-wide water supply program of the country next to the Bulacan Bulk Water Project, which was completed by Luzon Clean Water Development Corp., a joint venture of San Miguel Corp. and K-Water Resources Corp., in 2019.

The Cavite-wide Bulk Water Supply Project is among the major public-private partnership (PPP) projects worth P2 trillion the provincial government hopes to deliver over the next 10 years, Gov. Jonvic Remulla said earlier.

DENR Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said the local government’s role is critical in pursuing massive projects like this especially in ensuring water supply and security.

“It’s really important that, although you’re looking at private sector funding possibly, local governments need to take the lead here in terms of their own assessment of their needs and risks of climate change to their particular locality,” the environment chief said.

Last March, President Marcos signed an executive order creating the WRMO to address the looming “water crisis” threatening the country.

An office under the DENR, the WRMO is mandated to formulate and ensure the implementation of an integrated water management plan.

The President had said its plans should include the construction of water impounding facilities to reduce flood damage and make effective use of water resources.