JICA to shell out P1B for septage facility in Cebu City

CEBU, Philippines — The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is set to establish a septage treatment facility in a lot covered by the 93-1 land swap deal between the Cebu provincial government and Cebu City.

Governor Hilario Davide III said JICA is just waiting for the deal to be implemented between the two local government units for it to start the implementation of the project.

"Gi-eye man gud sa JICA para sa ilang septage treatment plant kanang abattoir diha," Davide said, referring to the 2,476-square-meter lot at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City.

In 2016, Davide and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña signed a memorandum agreement for the land swapping.

Under the MOA, the Capitol will give the 32 hectares of unsold lot covered by the 93-1 ordinance to Cebu city.

Aside from that lot, the Capitol will also swap its provincial owned lot in the Department of Agriculture (DA) compound in Barangay Guadalupe which is approximately 1.5 hectares.

The 2,358-square-meter lot along Gorordo Avenue and 577-square-meter lot along Don Gil Garcia Street in Capitol Site are also covered by the swap.

For Cebu city's part, it will give 2.5 hectares in the South Road Properties, nine hectares in Barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion and the Cebu City Zoo in Barangay Guadalupe to the province.

Aside from that, the city will also give the 3.3 hectare block 27 at the North Reclamation Area (NRA) as well as the 13,711-square-meter lot and the 2,476-square-meter lot where there's an existing Septage Treatment Plant and abattoir located also at the NRA.

"Ang kulang nalang ana is deed of donation as part sa among agreement sa (Cebu) city," Davide said.

Gordon Alan Joseph, co-chairperson of the private sector of the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB), said JICA will provide P1 billion for the project.

He said the septage treatment facility is important especially that water pollution is also a problem in the city.

"The problem in Cebu is 70 percent of household do not have septic tanks or the right septic tanks. So, what is happening is that all the waste is polluting our water supply," Joseph said.

It is the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) that is tasked for the extraction as well as the cleaning and filtering process of the water waste into clean waste product.

He said JICA is targeting the first quarter of next year for the construction of the said septage treatment facility. (FREEMAN)