REP. Manny Lopez of Manila, chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, has called on Congress to revisit the Kaliwa Dam project being pushed by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to boost the water supply for Metro Manila, a need that drew widespread public attention this last summer when the water supply to many areas was cut off.
The Commission on Audit (COA) has raised questions about the procedure in the bidding for the New Centennial Water Supply Project or Kaliwa Dam, funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA). The COA, in an Audit Observation Memorandum addressed to the MWSS administrator, questioned the qualificaÂtions of two of the three bidders. They appear to have been included merely to comply with the requirement of at least three bidders under the Procurement Law, the COA said. Congressman Lopez asked the MWSS to comply with the COA findings before pushing through with the project.
During the hearings of the Lopez committee in the House last week, the MWSS administrator said construction of Kaliwa Dam will begin once an environmenÂtal compliance certificate is secured from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
But the dam is getting stiff opposition from the Dumagat tribe which fears that their community will be displaced by the dam. When completed, the dam’s water level will be 150 meters higher than the nearby Daraitan village and other communities in Quezon province. A rival plan has been submitted by Japanese firm Global Utillity Development Corporation which will not raise the issue of flooding.
Congressman Lopez also asked the government to restudy the funding for the project. As an Official Development Assistance (ODA) project, China would proÂvide P12.2 billion – around 64 percent of the P18.7-billion cost of the dam. Under PPP, Lopez said, the government would not have to shell out any amount.
The Kaliwa Dam is one of a number of projects that will boost the water supply for Metro Manila’s fast-growing population. We need all the additional water supply we can get, but we must make sure that all the projects are above-board in meeting all government requirements and that they are the best choices from the many proposals that have been made to solve our reÂgion’s water problem.