A joint venture firm between Metro Pacific Water (MPW), part of a conglomerate led by business magnate Manuel V. Pangilinan; and the Dumaguete City Water District (DCWD) had officially commenced operations this February 1 for improved water supply and services to customers in Dumaguete City and neighboring locales.

The water project was concretized through corporate vehicle Metro Pacific Dumaguete Water Services Inc. or Metro Dumaguete Water (MDW), which is 80-percent owned by Metro Pacific Water; while the balance of 20-percent equity is held by Dumaguete City Water District.

In the business tie-up, it’s MDW that had been accorded with the responsibility on financing, development, operations and maintenance of the current DCWD water distribution and wastewater management system that has been catering to the water requirements of all 30 barangays in the city.

At the same time, the water system will be serving the neighboring municipalities of Bacong, Sibulan and Valencia. Altogether, MDW will be servicing more than 35,000 connections in the service area of DCWD.

In a statement to the media, MDW President Engineer Eriberto Calubaquib emphasized that in the next five years, the company is targeting to provide round-the-clock water supply not just to the current customer base of DCWD, but will also opt to expand the service area coverage of the Dumaguete water system.

He qualified though that since the company just kicked off its operations, “we would like to focus on the transition process to build effective systems in MDW that will lay the groundwork for future improvements.”

Calubaquib added their overaching goal “is to satisfy the needs of our existing customers  by providing improved water services.”

For the longer term investment trajectory of the company, Metro Pacific Water indicated that “aside from maximizing the supply from current sources, MDW will continue to seek additional water sources that will be tapped to ensure adequate supply for its customers.”

David Berba, chief operating officer of MDW, further noted their company will continue to “work closely with the LGU (local government unit), DCWD and other key stakeholders to inform them of the transition activities.”

He albeit cautioned customers in the DCWD service area at this point that they may still need to wade through “operational adjustments”, as the transition warrants processes or addressing concerns all in the aim of “fulfilling key water service improvement programs.”

The ultimate goal, according to Berba, is for MWD customers “to benefit from enhanced customer service, improved water presssure and water security from the various projects MDW will implement in the coming years.”