A public hearing was organized last October 3, 2014 by Maragondon Water District (MWD) and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Maragondon was held on October 3rd 2014 to provide details about the Maragondon Bulk Water Supply Project.

Among those in attendance who represented the LGU were Mayor Rey Rillo and Vice Mayor Pinboy Angeles, as well as Councilors Angelito Angeles, Victor Lucerna and Rommel Manalo. Former Mayor of Maragondon Paulito Unas was also present at the public hearing, as well as Ternate Vice Mayor Gomez Linayao Jr. and representatives of the Sangguniang Bayan of Ternate. Apart from the Board of Directors, employees and the General Manager of Maragondon Water District, the General Managers of the 12 water districts in Cavite were also present.

GM Manuel Angeles of MWD discussed the history of the project from the time of its conception in 2004 to the feasibility study conducted by Seureca of France under the French Economic Development Office and ultimately to the Joint Venture Contract (JVC) signed with WBS Consortium.

Judge Salvador Camanian, formerly of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel and a member of the Joint Venture Selection Committee that approved the JVC between MWD and WBS, also provided a more detailed explanation of the Joint Venture Process.

Representatives from MacroAsia Properties Development Corporation, which owns the Joint Venture Contract company WBS Consortium were also on hand to provide technical information on the project.

Mr. Jonathan Cabrera, Senior Business Development Officer for Water of MacroAsia discussed the various issues that were a point of concern among the residents of Maragondon, namely the following:

Dam – It was explained that while a weir is indeed a type of dam, it is much lower than what people often visualize dams to be and will not be a cause of flooding if it were to be built.

Right of the Water District to the Water and to the Project – It was explained that while the water indeed flows in Maragondon, water is owned by the state and it is by virtue of water rights obtained by the water district that it has a right to enter into a JVC for the use of the river.

Will the water cause farmers to lose water – It was explained that the project will only use the amount of water indicated in the water rights provided by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB). Moreover, the offtake point for the project is after the offtake point for irrigation, which means the project will only be taking water after the water meant for irrigation has been provided.

Mr. Cabrera also discussed the benefits of the project, particularly the Eco Tourism Park, Watershed Protection Program and other projects that can be funded by the LGU for education, healthcare and the like from their half of the royalty fee that the water district will be able to collect from the project due to their water rights.

Mr. Cabrera and GM Angeles addressed the concerns of the public, including the concerns of members of the Save Maragondon & Rivers, a concerned citizens movement opposed to the project. The questions of representatives from Water For All, an organization not based in Maragondon, were also answered. All questions were answered with the appropriate documentary support and visual presentation.