By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

During a public consultation at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) yesterday, the leadership of the Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) assured concessionaires a new contractor will start operations in a few months.
Baciwa chairman Lorendo Dilag said the Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. (BBWI) will begin to supply water for the utility company in July, a few months earlier than the deadline of October this year.
BBWI, a special purpose company composed of several consortiums, won the bid to a 25-year bulk water supply contract with Baciwa. The deal was finalized on March 2 last year.
BBWI, led by its Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Yapkianwee, conducted a presentation on the status of its project yesterday at the Masskara Hall of the BCGC.
BBWI told Baciwa they will begin supplying from Injection Point No. 1 in Barangay Granada, Bacolod City.
However, on May 24, the BBWI requested the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) to pass a resolution endorsing the proposed construction of their water treatment plan and intake structure in Barangay Granada for the Bulk water Supply project.
City Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairman of the committee on laws, ordinances and good government, said the SP forwarded the request of the BBWI to the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) and City Natural Resources Office (CNRO). These two offices were advised to decide within 10 days whether or not the area will cause flooding as a requirement of the city environment code.
Meanwhile, Dilag said in front of the city officials and stakeholders that Baciwa has no other of source of income other than payments from its consumers.
He emphasized the water district is not being subsidized by the public funds, and the only means of the district to have a project is by way of loans.
He added that in 2005, Baciwa acquired a loan from the Local Water Utilities Administration in the amount of P570 million and the water district is paying an interest of 12 percent per month, but in 2013 this was reduced to 4 percent per month until the present.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia has earlier called the attention of Baciwa through a presentation and open forum at the BCGC due to a shortage of water supply in the city./WDJ