Private-public partnership to improve MIWD mulled
The infrastructure committee of the Regional Development Council (RDC) has endorsed a proposal for a Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility Support (PPIAFS) for the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD). The proposal came in after the World Bank expressed a positive response in giving a grant to conduct a feasibility study for an applicable model for a public and private partnership.
Mayor Jerry Treñas, chair of the RDC's infrastructure committee, said the feasibility study will enable the council to determine what model is good for the proposed public and private partnership for the local water system.
Treñas said the public and private partnership do not necessarily mean the privatization of the MIWD. This will signal a more efficient service and improvement of the water distribution in the city. The availability of water in the city, aside from power supply, is one of the things considered by prospective investors.
Earlier, Treñas hopes that the city's sole water utility would be privatized. He even sought the help of top officials of the Government Office for Corporate Council (GOCC) of his plan to privatize the water district.
Treñas also sought the help of the Sangguniang Panlungsod by approving a resolution favorably endorsing his plan to privatize the water district. However, nothing was heard from the committee which is tasked to study the proposal.
The proposed privatization of the MIWD is one of the mayor's priority project in his last term as city mayor. He expressed concerns over the two basic utilities -- the water and electricity. The insufficient water and power supply will drive away prospective investors in the city, he said.