ADB to help draft new water contracts

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is enlisting the aid of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the economic and financial aspects of crafting the draft contracts of the Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System (MWSS) with water firms Manila Water and Maynilad. 

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra yesterday said the ADB was tapped as a consultant in the formulation of the revised contracts that would be presented by the government to the two water concessionaires in six months.  

Guevarra said consultants from ADB were scheduled to meet with government officials at the Office of the President in Malacañang yesterday afternoon. 

The members of the review team are the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Finance (DOF), Office of the Solicitor General, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel and the MWSS.  

“I presume that one of the matters that we are going to take up is the engagement of the ADB consultants for the purpose of guiding the government side in the matter of revising economic and financial terms on the water concession agreement,” he added.  

Guevarra said that “conservatively,” it would take them six months to complete the whole process of revising the existing contracts with the two firms and removing the onerous provisions.