The Regional Development Council (RDC) of Calabarzon, whose Project Monitoring Committee visited Maragondon Water District last January 2015, approved of the Maragondon Bulk Water Supply Project for inclusion in the Revalidated Regional Investment Plan for 2011-2016.

According to the Resolution issued by the RDC, the project is in line with the Millennium Development Goals and the Calabarzon Regional Development Plan, specifically on the goal of accelerating infrastructure development.

The Maragondon Bulk Water Supply Project, which aims to supply water to several water districts in the province of Cavite, was also endorsed by the Cavite Provincial Development Council and the Sectoral Committee on Infrastructure Development.

Members of the Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC) of Calabarzon conducted a site visit in relation to the Maragondon Bulk Water Supply Project (MBWSP) last January 29, 2015. Aside from the members of the committee, the Board of Directors and General Manager of Maragondon Water District, representatives of the farmers from Maragondon, representatives of MacroAsia Properties Development Corporation and the General Managers of the water districts in Cavite were also in attendance.

A brief introduction of the project was presented before the group had a courtesy call was made to Mayor Rey Rillo. Joined by Mayor Rillo himself, the group visited Mabacao Bridge, where the RPMC team were informed of how far the offtake point is from the offtake point being used by the National Irrigation Administration. The distance helped to alleviate concerns that the site would affect the water supply of NIA for farmers as the offtake point for the Bulk Water Supply Project is after the offtake point for irrigation. This means that the project will only take water AFTER NIA has taken water that they need. As such this means that in cases when the water level is low, the river will be used by NIA first and any excess will be used by the project and if there is no water left, the project will clearly not acquire any from the river.

From Mabacao Bridge, the group visited the offtake point at Barangay Bucal 3, where the group was able to see the location of the weir which was a point of concern for some people for risk of flooding. It was assured by representatives of MacroAsia and MWD that because of the location it would not cause flooding. Several members of the RPMC group also went to the site of the treatment plant to inspect the exact location/land area.

Upon the return of the group to the MWD Office, a presentation was made by Mr. Jonathan Cabrera of MacroAsia to provide more details about the offtake point and treatment plant for the project. He also responded to inquiries from the RPMC team regarding the concerns raised regarding the project. The General Managers of the Cavite water districts who will be beneficiaries of the MBWSP, also stressed their interest and need for the project.

Representatives of farmers from Maragondon were also given an opportunity to raise their concerns, which were answered by Mr. Cabrera. Concerns about flooding, the effect of the project to irrigation and the right of the water district to the water were responded to during the presentation: they were informed that the weir is too low/downstream to cause flooding, the offtake point is after that of NIA and as such will not affect their water supply, and that the water district has water rights obtained from the National Water Resources Board which is in charge of the assignment of such rights. The protection of the watershed area in order to protect the river was also emphasized during the meeting, along with tourism-related projects that will be introduced once the project is operational.

The provincial government representative suggested improving information dissemination about the project to alleviate concerns from opposing groups. MacroAsia and MWD agreed that this would be necessary and will do so.

Maragondon Water District (MWD) organized a public hearing which was held on November 28th 2014 to relay information regarding the Maragondon Bulk Water Supply Project (MBWSP).

The Board of Directors and employees of Maragondon Water District were in attendance when GM Angeles discussed the history of the project that resulted in the Joint Venture Contract (JVC) signed with WBS Consortium.

Maragondon Mayor Rey Rillo was also in attendance and repeated his assurance that the LGU would not be supporting the project if they were not sure of the safety of the people and how it would benefit Maragondon to have the MBWSP.

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.

Fr. Ernie Cruz, a supporter of the project, spoke to the public about his trust in what the project can do for Maragondon. As a former concerned citizen who was previously not sure of the project, he assured that he studied the project himself and realized that this would be very beneficial for Maragondon.

Mr. Jonathan Cabrera, Senior Business Development Officer for Water of MacroAsia discussed the various issues that were points of concern among the residents of Maragondon that were previously discussed in the public hearing at the town plaza:

Dam – A weir is indeed a type of dam, but much lower than what people are thinking and will not be a cause of flooding if it were to be built. A visual presentation of the size of the weir was shown to prove that it is not as big as people have speculated.

Will the water cause farmers to lose water – The project will only use the amount of water indicated in the water rights provided by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB). 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 through 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 regarding flooding, loss of water and use of the river and safety issues regarding the weir and treatment plant to be constructed.

Concerns regarding Mabacao, specifically how it will affect their own water system separate from the water district, were also addressed. All questions were answered with the appropriate documentary support and visual presentation.

A public hearing organized by Maragondon Water District (MWD) was held on November 11th 2014 to provide details about the Maragondon Bulk Water Supply Project (MBWSP).

In attendance were the Board of Directors, employees and the General Manager of Maragondon Water District, Mr. Manuel Angeles. GM Angeles discussed the history of the project that resulted in the Joint Venture Contract (JVC) signed with WBS Consortium.

Maragondon Mayor Rey Rillo gave a few words of support for the project and assured the public that the LGU would not be supporting the project if they were not sure of the safety of the people and how it would benefit Maragondon to have the MBWSP.

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 points of concern among the residents of Maragondon that were previously discussed in the public hearing at the town plaza:

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. A visual presentation of the size of the weir was shown to prove that it is not as big as people have speculated.

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 through 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 regarding flooding, loss of water and use of the river and safety issues regarding the weir and treatment plant to be constructed. All questions were answered with the appropriate documentary support and visual presentation.

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.