The Negros Occidental provincial government is trying to bridge the gap on rates between local water districts and the bidder for its P1.2-billion bulk water supply project.

“That is a challenge for us to resolve the issue and make it acceptable to our constituents,” provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said, stating the project “faces a little bit of a challenge.”

This refers to the tariffs that are being asked, he added.

Diaz said the bidder offered P24 per cubic meter, higher than the expected P14 per cubic meter.

“We want to clarify certain matters,” he said, emphasizing that the technical and other financial documents are still under review.

The winning bidder is a consortium composed of First Balfour Inc., Victorias Milling Co., and FPIP Utilities Inc.

Diaz said Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has issued a memorandum setting the timetable for the bulk supply project for May this year.

Under the project, the winning bidder will enter into a contractual joint venture with the provincial government to finance, design, construct, operate, and maintain a bulk water supply system with a minimum capacity of 34.5 million liters per day to be sourced from the Imbang River or the Malogo River.

Diaz said the Malogo River in E.B. Magalona town, where the bulk of the unsubscribed water is located, is the priority of the bidder.

The bulk water supply project will serve six water service providers in Negros Occidental cities of Silay, Talisay, and Victorias, as well as the municipalities of E.B. Magalona and Manapla, and capital Bacolod City.

The bulk water project aims to address the problem of a potable water shortage in Negros Occidental./WDJ