Nlalaryn

Business Insight
Monday, March 18, 2019

House holds
hearing on
water cf1s1s
BY WENDELL VIGILI,A

THE House joint committee on Metto Manila

development and on housing and urban devel-
opment will hold a heating today to help 6nd
ways to address the watet crisis in Metro Manila.
Congressmen invited top officials of the
Manila lVater, Maynilad, water regulators, live
Metto Manila mayors and other officials to
attend *re hearing to help shed Light on the
ongoing water shortage in patts of Meto
Manila ard fuzal.
The Senace committee on public services
chaited by Sen. Grace Poe u.ili also conduct a
headng on the watet ctisis tomotrow, Tuesday.
"!fe have to look into the water shortage
with dispatch and assure tl, e people that the
govelnmeflt is addressing the problem with
assutance that it would not happen again," said
Rep. Alfiedo Benitez @DP-Laban, Negros Oc-
cidental), chair of the housing panel,
Among the measures calling For the inquiry is
Houqe Resolution lHRr \o. 25 8 fiJbdby Rep.
Carloz Zarate QL, Bayan Muna).
Rep. Winston Castelo (PDP-Laban, Quezon
Cig), chair of the Metro Manila development
. parel. said Congress needs ro ger a clearpjcrure
of the situation "and how we'te going to deal
with it because a lot of people are akeady get-
ting advetsely affected by the problem."
"\Ve will need explanadons from the conces-
sionaires, regulatots, and the experts whywe got
into this mess and their suggestion on how we
can get out of it," he said.
Customers of *re Ayalaled Manila \flatet in
Meuo Manila and fuu al hat e been experiencing
low water. ptessure since Thursday last week
while some ateas have no supply at all. The
interruptions were caused by the dwindJing
water level at tlle La Mesa Dam.
As of yesterday, there wete reports that
watet has been restored in 80 percent of the
affected ateas.
Invited as resource persons are Quezon
City Mayor Herbert Bautista; Pasig City Mayor
Robetto F,usebio; Navotas Citl' Mayor John
Re1'nald Tiangco; Muntinlupa City MayorJaime
Fresnedi; Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Maiapi
tan; Manila $flater chief executive officer (CEO) ,t\
Ferdinand dela Ctuz; Maynilad rX/atet Services
president and CEO Ramoocito Fetnandez; i fenilT P\q€"
Locai Water Utilities Adminisuation (L!VUA) (r)
See HOUSE > lage B3

ilsn PAqi- Pu -- ->

 HOUSE fainwate! retentioo facilities in
their projects in Meto Manila and
a.m. yesterday, nc{r the dam's all-time
lorvest vater le vcl. He said water level
'qwe also ree-dRttf b'f-drq cur-
rent mitigating measures planned
adnri.,sEator Jeci Lapus; LV'{JA othet major cities." weflt do$,'n to 0.01 meter 6om the by the agencies, such as the De
chairman RogeJio Uy; Villafuerte said the current wetet 68.70 meten on Satrrday moming partment of Agriculture, given
\Ieuopolitan S7aterworks and tationing in Metro Manila should Last Thursday, water level at the importance of our agriculturai
Ses'erage System (tr{WSS) admin- promPt Congress to prioritize the La Mesa dipped to 68.74 meters, sector to tlre economy," Poe added.
istrator Reynaldo Velasco; MSTSS passage of bills on water conser!'ul breachingthe ptevious recotd-lov/ Cabinet Secretary Karlo
Regulatory Of6ce chief regulator tion, includiog his House Bill No. of 68.75 meters registered during Nograles said government is
Patrick Ty; National Water Re- 8088 on the consruction of facili the 1998 Etr Niio season. looking at the recoostitution and
sources Board executive director ties convetting hatvested tainwatet Orendain said the water level transfer of the National Water
Serrillo David; Philippine Atmo- for non potable uses. of Angat Dam in Bulacan went Resources Board (|{WRB) undet
spheric, Geophysica-l, and Astto- "Rainwatet is a free, abundant, dovn to 198.54 meters yesterday the Of6ce of the President- He
nomical Setvices Administtation and regular natutal resource *rat morning fiom 198.25 metets on said this one of the measutes the
@-\G-ASA) administrator Vicente the Philippines is fortunate to Satutday morniog He noted this Duterte administation is looking
Ilalano; Private Hospitals Associa- . receive year in and out. It is high elevation was still above its criticai at to help addfess the water prob-
tion of the Phi.lippines prcsident time that vre male use of it for t}e low level of 180 meters. lem in tle counry,
Rustico Jimenez; Bureau of Fire general advantage of our people," Nograles, in a statement issued
Protection @FP) chief Leonard he said in a statehent. SENATEINQUIRY Sunday, said the proposed measure
Baiago; and Philippine Hospital Castelo said he aims to esablish is pat of the draft executive order ,

Association presideot Hubetto the need fot the development of "We will call for the hearing as that is being finalized fot submis-
Lapuz, among others. mote watet tesetvoirs since this part of the committee's oversight sion to President Duteite for his
Rep. Jericho Nograles @L, PBA) has been cited by Manila Water as functions over the country's utili- approval and signing
said Manila rWater cannot blame El one of the teasoos for the shortage. Whlt we are seeing now is not
ties. "I be[eve the diffetent agen- r
Niio for its alleged lack of fore "I also want to learn from normal and somethiog that our cies agree on the problems that
sight and mismanagement. Maynilad how it soh.ed similar households and fatmers do not need to be resolved to prevent the
"The water interuptions are problems not too long ago. Maybe deserve," Poe said. sot of water supply malagement
localized vithin the concession they have measrues which Manila -?oe Said the hearing will gather issues aow being experienced in
areas of Manila \0ater. This is Water can replicate," he said. officials of concerned agencies, Metto Manila. At this poht we
simpil mismanagement. Manila heads of watet coocessionaires, have built a consensus oo how we
\&'ater should be truth{ul ro the \WATERLEVELDOWN regulators and. othet conceffred can address these rssues, but the
pub[c instead of blaming Mother stakeholdets to discuss the cdsis recommendations as oudined in
Natute for theit negligence," he Water level at La Mesa Dam in and come up with solutions to ease the EO will still be subject to the
said in a statemeot. Quezon City continued to drop, the impact of the supply shortage. approval of the President, 'he said.
Rep. Luis Raymond Villafuerte the Philippine Atnospheric Geo- Poe said it
is important fo: the The proposed EO was discussed
(|Jl Camarines Sw) said Congress physical and Astronomical Servic- oficials to attend the hearing "so at length duJing the Cabinet As-
could help addtess the ptoblem esAdministtation @AGASA) said. that together, we can come up sistaoce System (CAS) meeting in
over the long run "by requiring Hydrologist fuchard Orcndain with immediate short-aod long- Ieye lzstFidty. - With Ragmond
commercial, instinrtional and resi- said the water leserve at La Mesa term solutions to avelt the cufrcnt Afrir4 Angela l-opeXdz ltox and
dential estate developers to install Dam dtopped to 68.69 mete$ at 6 water cdsis." Joecbn MontcmaJ,ot

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