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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Clean drinking water out of thin air? Villafuerte says Camarines Sur will soon have this technology

Clean drinking water out of thin air? Villafuerte says Camarines Sur will soon have this technology

Published Mar 6, 2025 12:47 am

At A Glance

  • Camarines Sur 1st district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is drumming up the province's venture with Italian tech innovator Veragon Technologies that would create the first-ever atmospheric water generator (AWG) manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia.

FB_IMG_1679041892871.jpgCamarines Sur 1st district Rep. LRay Villafuerte

Camarines Sur 1st district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is drumming up the province's venture with Italian tech innovator Veragon Technologies that would create the first-ever atmospheric water generator (AWG) manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia.

The AWG is capable of converting water vapor in the air into pure and safe drinking water, according to National Unity Party (NUP) president Villafuerte.

“The provincial LGU (local government unit) of CamSur is partnering with Veragon for the latter's first venture in the region that will harness its cutting-edge AWG technology to leverage indigenous RE (renewable energy) sources in collecting water vapor in the air and filtering it to produce clean, safe and accessible water,” said Villafuerte, a former three-term governor

Villafuerte announced this eco-friendly project following last month’s groundbreaking for this AWG manufacturing hub at the Provincial Capitol Complex in the capital of Pili, Camarines Sur.

This groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Villafuerte, Secretaries Rex Gatchalian of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Governor Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte, Vice Governor Salvio Patrick Fortuno, and Veragon founder-CEO Dr. Alessio Lucatelli.

The event was highlighted by the lowering of a time capsule and water tasting by the officials and guests of mineralized water produced from the AWGs.

A world leader in innovative and sustainable water solutions, Veragon develops AWGs that collect water from air humidity, filter it and then process it into mineralized water with quality that meets the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Veragon’s green technology has been tapped by such institutions as the United Nations (UN) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and has ongoing trials by the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) armed forces.

“On top of providing water especially in communities with scant access to this essential resource or in villages struck by natural or man-made disasters, this pioneering project on Veragon’s cutting-edge AWG will advance the Marcos administration’s decarbonization agenda as this technology’s use of RE in the water purification process will help reduce our country’s carbon footprint for environmental sustainability,” Villafuerte said.

Veragon’s first-of-its-kind project in the region on this innovative AWG water purification technology will “boost the local economy and create a lot of jobs in CamSur, while at the same time promoting environmental conservation by reducing our reliance on traditional water sources and abating plastic wastes from bottled water,” said Villafuerte, one of the authors of Republic Act (RA) No. 11898.

Otherwise known as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022, RA No. 11898 seeks to address the global plastic pollution problem by aspiring for a circular economy through holding manufacturers responsible or accountable for the plastic packaging they use throughout the entire lifecycle of their products.

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Camarines Sur atmospheric water generator lray villafuerte
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