City willing to partner with MCWD on treatment plant only in 2016 yet

CEBU, Philippines - After the sewerage treatment facility was installed at the North Reclamation Area, a Cebu City official said the city government is open for a partnership with the Metropolitan Cebu Water District   for its operation.

“Naa man toy (there was a) request sa (for) MCWD nga sila ang mo-operate (to be the one to operate it). Kon i-award sa city ngadto sa MCWD there’s no problem with that, as long as ma-in-place ang program,” said City Councilor Ma. Nida Cabrera, chairperson of the Committee on Parks, Playground, Wildlife and Ecology and Environment.

The facility is currently managed by AMCON Inc. of Japan, whose contract would end in 2016.

“Ang ako lang humanon ang contract nga sign namo sa AMCON (We finish the contract with AMCON first). Maybe after sa project sa AMCON that’s the time,” she said.

Cabrera also said that a proposed ordinance which would be tackled for final deliberation today states that the city may enter into a joint partnership when managing septage.

“Open man ang ordinance. Ang city may enter into a joint partnership or through a corporation.  Mao na ang gibutang (That is what was stated there).  So it’s the discretion of the mayor kon unsaon niya iyang buhaton,” she added.

As part of the partnership, there would also be survey on the number of households with and without septic tanks.

“I-determine pud nato each household kon pananglitan nga adunay i-conduct nga dislodging pila ka meter ang ilahang balay gikan sa access road nga pwede kasudlan sa trak. Iapil sad nato ang  daan nga pamaagi nila pila ilang magasto sa pagpahabwa,” Cabrera said.

“Gitan-aw man sad nato pila ang nag-practice gyud nga nag-dislodge gyud sila every after three years or five years ba,” she added.

The sewage treatment facility, which costs P15 million, has the capacity to store 200 cubic meters of waste and can process more than 10 cubic meters of waste per hour.

Mayor Michael Rama earlier said that with Cebu as “one of the livable cities in Asia,” it is a must that the city must have such a facility.

He said, though, that a tipping fee should not be expensive that it would already be a burden to the public.—(FREEMAN)