Home | To bottom

No water hike in Baguio — Mayor Yaranon

BAGUIO CITY (Feb. 17) — The city’s top executive official stood firm against the Baguio Water District’s (BWD) impending approval of the bulk water supply project and appealed to the BWD Board of Directors not to approve the project if the price doubles the current price.

Mayor Braulio D. Yaranon disclosed this week that he is not supporting any increase in water rates as a consequence of the bulk water supply project. Benguet Corporation (BC), the lone bidder which survived the three-level bidding process, offered to sell water at P39.99 per cubic meter, P16 higher than BWD’s present rate at P24.00 per cubic meter.

Yaranon reportedly wrote to the BWD Board his concerns on the pricing and quality of the bulk water supply to be provided by BC. He also pointed out other issues such as the availability of water in the city’s aquifers and the social acceptability of the bulk water supply project in Itogon, where most water sources would be tapped by BC.

In his reply to the mayor’s missive, BWD’s Atty. Antonio Espiritu, BOD chairman, said that there could be no increase in water rates without subjecting the proposal to a public hearing and review to conform with policies imposed by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA). Yaranon countered Espiritu saying it will be too late to conduct any public consultation if the contract between BWD and BC has been signed.

“Why should they advance outside interests when they should be protecting the interests of the people of Baguio?”, asked Yaranon as he chided the BWD Board and other forces pushing for the bulk water supply project.

He said that the local government unit of Itogon has just forwarded its formal opposition for BC to draw water in that water-starved municipality. The BOD assured Yaranon that it would require BC to obtain the endorsement of the community residing around and within the proposed water sources and seek the endorsement of the municipality where these sources are situated. It also said it would require BC to submit other environmental compliance and permits.

Yaranon defended his earlier claim that there are enough water sources to supply the 50,000 cubic meters per day (cmd) needed by the city. He cited BWD reports that enough water could be accessed from 15 drilling operations within the city. At one occasion, however, Espiritu had told the media that only 600 cmd could be accessed from the drillings.

Yaranon also countered reports that drawing from the aquifers would deplete local water sources. He disclosed that the city is sitting on huge underground water sources, which are being supplied by five major watersheds. Aside from the watersheds and river basins, there are two major water bodies, the Binga and Ambuclao dams in Benguet, which percolate into Baguio’s aquifers.

“We have inexhaustible water aquifers that have supplied water for the last 50 years”, he said. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

Home | Back to top