CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—This rapidly developing Pampanga capital, its more than 300,000 permanent residents and around a million transients are further assured of adequate and good quality water as the City of San Fernando Water District (CSFWD) and PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. (PrimeWater) sealed a contractual joint venture (JV) for 25 years.
PrimeWater won the bid in a process and guidelines set by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC). It passed thorough evaluation by the CSFWD’s Joint Venture Selection Committee.
PrimeWater is a wholly-owned Filipino company with more than 30 years in professional water operations. It operates 250 deep wells in various parts of the country, supplying also water to large residential subdivisions. It runs three big bulk water projects in Iloilo, Albay and Zamboanga and has JVs with 13 water districts.
CSFWD remains a government-owned and controlled corporation during the JV, with specific task to monitor the contract implementation, Its highest policy-making body shall be the board of directors.
“Given the capacities and expertise of PrimeWater, we are confident that CSFWD’s 25-year plan worth P2.9 billion will be fully accomplished in support of the City of San Fernando as the business capital of Pampanga and regional capital of Central Luzon,” said Angelo David, chairperson of CSFWD, on Wednesday at the formal launch of the JV.
“We are confident that this private-public partnership will benefit the people of San Fernando. We have further secured our people’s right to adequate and clean water,” David added.
The main milestones in the JV are the increase in water supply to 2.19 million cubic meters per month from 1.3 million cubic meters per month; expansion of service to 94,285 concessionaires from 43,918; less than five percent-increase in rates starting the third year subject to the review and approval of LWUA; and reduction of non-revenue water to 15 percent from 25 percent.
“The people of San Fernando are the winner in this joint venture,” David stressed. END
For background:
1. CSFWD operates under Conditional Certificate of Conformance No. 040 issued by LWUA on May 5, 1977
2. CSFWD runs 31 pumping stations and 4 bulk water providers.
3. CSFWD rate of P185 for every 10 cubic meters since December 2012 is one of the lowest priced in Pampanga. It did not request for a rate increase even as it spent P65.2 million in 2016 to improve water supply and quality.