SBMA, SubicWater sign 20-yr. franchise agreement anew

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and Subic Water and Sewerage Company Inc. (SubicWater) have extended their franchise agreement (FA) for another 20 years.

 

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño welcomed this development as their partnership with the agency has been harmonious since they started here.

 

The 3rd Amendment to the franchise agreement and the 4th Amendment to the SBMA-SubicWater Lease Agreement were signed yesterday at the SBMA Corporate Boardroom at Building 229, extending their FA term until March 31, 2047.

 

The agreements were signed by Chairman Aliño, SubicWater Chairman Engr. Apollo C. Tiglao, and witnessed by Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. and SubicWater CEO and General Manager Benjamin Antonio III.

 

Chairman Tiglao said that under the amendment, “The SubicWater shall conduct its operation aiming to achieve 100 percent wastewater coverage including combined sewerage and sanitation services for Subic Bay Freeport and Olongapo City.”

 

He also said that this endeavor would be more beneficial to SubicWater’s customers as Olongapo City will now have wastewater services and sewer lines.

 

Additionally, SubicWater can now expand its services to far-flung areas of Subic Freeport such as Redondo Peninsula and Tipo area as a result of the amendment.

 

Meanwhile, Mayor Paulino also expressed his gratitude to the SBMA and SubicWater for the continued services of the water company. “We wanted SubicWater to expand their services, we have been clamoring for the wastewater coverage in Olongapo City,” he added.

 

“We really appreciate that we are involved in the process. Special thanks to SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator Atty. Ramon Agregado for advocating for the benefit of Olongapo City and all other constituents,” he added. (MPD-SBMA)

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LOOK: Inauguration of Subicwater Waterwaste Treatment Facilities

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño (2nd from right) and Subicwater Chairman Apollo Tiglao lead the ceremonial cutting of ribbon to inaugurate the newly upgraded Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) for the Central Business District area of the Subic Bay Freeport zone. Also joining the ceremony are Subicwater CEO Benjamin Antonio III (extreme left), Subicwater Directors Tulsi Das Reyes and Ruben De Guzman, and SBMA Director Amable Tolentino. 

The newly upgraded Enron STP and the Cubi Lift Station were also inaugurated during the event as the company assured that all domestic and commercial customers inside the Freeport zone are connected to the sewage wastewater treatment network.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño (center) is given a tour of the newly upgraded Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) for the Central Business District area by Subicwater Chairman Apollo Tiglao.

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SBMA, gov’t agencies conduct anti-terrorism exercise in Subic Freeport

As part of the national government’s thrust to thwart terrorism in the country, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), along with other government agencies jointly conducted a simulation exercise at the Subic Water Binictican Water Treatment Plant.

According to SBMA Chairman and Administrator Rolen C. Paulino, the Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Simulation Exercise 2022 was conducted by the Anti-Terrorism Council – Program Management Center (ATC-PMC) headed by the Project Management Office of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The official added that the inter-agency simulation exercise series (IA Simex Series) included personnel from the DILG, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), ATC-PMC, Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP), Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices from Bataan and Zambales, Peace and Order Councils of LGUs, CBRN National Team Observers, Subic Water and Sewerage Company, Inc., and the SBMA.

Chairman Paulino further revealed, “The opening scenario during the CBRN Simex was a negotiation between the terrorist group who took over the Subic Water Binictican Water Treatment Plant with plans to contaminate the water supply of Olongapo City. The terrorist group demanded P10 million, along with the release of their comrades. A PNP negotiator then attempted to communicate with the terrorist group.”

“Should negotiations fail, the PNP will cordon off the area while the SBMA Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team conducts a meeting before an insertion operation Following the insertion, SWAT personnel then neutralize the terrorist threat and rescue hostages taken by the terrorists.

“Both the SWAT and the hostages are then thoroughly checked for any chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear contaminations before they are allowed to conduct further operations. Debriefing immediately follows after decontamination,” he said.

The official stated that the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams from the AFP and PNP scout the area for any explosive devices that the terrorist group may have left behind. The SBMA Fire Department and the BFP then carry out extraction of injured victims and live suspects using hazmat suits.

“Medical teams from the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD) then immediately attend to the wounded victims, including the terrorists for medical attention,” Paulino said.

 DILG Assistant Secretary Brig. Gen. Alexander Macario lauded the participation of various government agencies at the CBRN Simex 2022, citing that with a bit more polishing, the operation would be seamless. He added that the exercise is designed to meet the needs of the particular area in partnership with stakeholders.

“The exercise should support and develop exercise practitioners’ competency to plan, implement, and evaluate simulation exercises within the terrorist-related CBRN crisis field. This exercise also requires the active participation of representatives from both local and national government agencies, and include non-government units and stakeholders,” he said. (MPD-SBMA) 

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WWII skeletons unearthed in Subic (INQ report)

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Two human skeletons, believed to be of World War II soldiers, were unearthed at the bay area here early this week.

Two skulls and several pieces of bone were found underneath the “Inang Laya” Shrine in front of the administration building here at about 10:30 a.m. on Monday (April 4), according to a Friday (April 8) report submitted by investigators of the Law Enforcement Department (LED) of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

The Inang Laya Shrine in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 

LED investigators said the skeletons were unearthed when the Subic Water Corporation dug up a portion of the lot around the shrine to install a water PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipeline.

The skeletons were retrieved about one meter below the construction site, the investigators said.

Personnel from the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives in Olongapo City collected the skeletal remains for examination. (Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/778417/wwii-skeletons-unearthed-in-subic

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DMCI trims stake in Subic Water

DMCI Project Developers, the property arm of DMCI Holdings has trimmed its stake in Subic Water and Sewerage Co., a public-private partnership arrangement that operates the water service facilities in the Subic Bay Freeport and Olongapo City.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), the Consunji-owned holding firm said DMCI Project Developers sold 915,580 of its shares in Subic Water to the City of Olongapo for a total consideration of P210.6 million.

The shares represent 10 percent of the outstanding capital stock of Subic Water.

“DMCI Project Developers still owns a total of 30 percent of Subic Water’s outstanding capital stock after the sale,” the company said in its disclosure.

Subic Water is a pioneer company formed in 1997, which introduced the first public-private partnership, build-operate-transfer model in the water and wastewater services industry.

It was formed in light of the impending water crisis in Olongapo City during the 90s, and the growing commercial water requirements of the booming Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Other members of the consortium are Sembcorp Industries Ltd., (sembcorp) a Singaporean water utility specialist; Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the agency that administers Subic Bay Freeport; and Maynilad Water Services Inc.

The company was granted the exclusive right and privilege to operate, maintain, and improve the water and sewerage systems of Olongapo City and Subic Bay Freeport under a 30-year franchise term.

DMCI Holdings reported a consolidated net income of P9.9 billion in the nine-months to September last year, up 31 percent from P7.5 billion the previous year. (Iris Gonzales, The Philippine Star)

http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/03/29/1566993/dmci-trims-stake-subic-water

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Subicwater sets P115-million capex projects for 2015

DM Consunji Inc. (DMCI)-led Subic Water and Sewerage Co. Inc. (Subicwater), which operates the water-service facilities in the Subic Bay Freeport and Olongapo City, has announced that it will spend a total of P115.12 million in capital expenditure (capex) projects this year to further improve its services here.

Subicwater President and CEO Apollo Tiglao said in a media briefing on Wednesday that the bulk of the expenditures will go to a P44.7-million sewerage-system project for the Boton area of the Subic Bay Freeport, and a P38.6-million water distribution rehabilitation project in Olongapo.

“The Boton project is part of our Sewerage Master Plan that was created in as early as 2006,” Tiglao said. “As we have projected long ago, businesses will thrive [in Subic], and the area will need a new sewerage system complete with a dedicated sewage treatment plant.”

Tiglao said that aside from the Boton project, the water firm will invest P8.82 million on new sewage conveyance pipes in Subic’s Central Business District; P9.8 million for the construction of two pumping stations for a newly developed well in the former Naval Magazine area; and P1.2 million for the installation of new water pipelines in the airport area.

Meanwhile, in Olongapo City, Subicwater will be investing P38.6 million on new water-distribution lines; P11 million on two new wells in Barangay New Cabalan; and P1.48 million to replace a portion of its raw-water line in Barangay Santa Rita.

Tiglao said the Olongapo investments will ensure continuous water supply to the city treatment plant, especially during summer.

“As you can see, the two wells we will start developing this year will serve the few remaining Olongapo communities without piped water, as they are located at the highest points of the mountains surrounding the city proper,” Tiglao said.

Still, he said Subicwater faces problems on the identified well sites in the remote barangay of New Cabalan, particularly on lot acquisition.

“We hope the city administration will assist Subicwater on these matters,” he said, adding that the firm wants to finish the wells as soon as possible to solve water scarcity in the hilly barangay during summer.

“We are ready to start the well-drilling anytime soon,” Tiglao said.

With the new capex schedule, Tiglao said the firm has put up more than P1.5 billion in capital expenditure since it started operations here in 1997, with about P605 million for infrastructure development in the period from 2011 to 2013 alone.

“Since Subicwater is operating under a build-operate-transfer [BOT] setup, all of our facilities, along with the improvements we have infused throughout the course of our operations, will be given back to Olongapo City and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority [SBMA] after our franchise term,” Tiglao said.

Subicwater, which implemented the first BOT scheme for a water-and-sewerage system in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia, was formed as a joint venture in 1996. It is now owned by Filipino construction firm DMCI, Singaporean water specialist Sembcorp Industries Ltd. (Sembcorp), SBMA and Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Henry Empeño, BusinessMirror)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/subicwater-sets-p115-million-capex-projects-for-2015/

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Olongapo gets P54.3-M water system upgrade

OLONGAPO CITY— Two upland communities in this city which have been without piped water since time immemorial broke into celebration after private utility firm Subic Water and Sewerage Co., Inc. (SUBICWATER) activated its three water supply expansion projects worth P54.3 million on Monday.

Residents of Nagbaculao and Sibul areas of this city in their joy took a surprise shower as Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino and SUBICWATER Chairman Herbert Consunji led the ceremonial opening of water valves which, they say, signifies ‘the rush of developments’ coming to the 1,000 families who rely on spring water.

Included in this water infrastructure development are three concrete reservoirs with a total capacity of 5.6 million liters, a pump station, and some 7.2 kilometers of new pipelines, according to Consunji.

“These completed projects, aside from bringing piped water service to these two areas, will also increase water pressure in barangays Asinan, Pag-asa, New Kalalake, East Tapinac, and East Bajac-bajac,” said Consunji.

Consunji explained that SUBICWATER inherited a dilapidated water system in 1997 and thus, had to concentrate first on the low-lying areas of the city, where water pressure was ‘so weak that it can’t even reach the second floor of a structure’.

“So far, SUBICWATER has spent a total of P1.5 billion to revolutionize our water system— from catchment, treatment, distribution, and even sewage treatment in the Freeport,” he added.

“Now that we have successfully boosted our raw water supply and increased our treatment and distribution capacities, SUBICWATER is resolved to bring treated water to the communities sitting along and atop the high ridges surrounding Olongapo City,” the SUBICWATER chairman said.

Mayor Paulino, on the other hand, congratulated SUBICWATER for ‘another successful project finished’.

“We must thank SUBICWATER for going the extra mile to bring water to this area, which I recall to have been without water even during the US Navy times,” said Paulino to some 300 residents gathered at Nagbaculao.

“Instead of spending hours lining up for water, you can now devote more time to your families, yourselves, and most importantly, to your livelihoods,” Paulino said.

Having learned that it takes an average of P1,500 per month to hire someone to fetch water, Paulino urged the residents to immediately apply for a water service connection as the average water bill of those consuming around 10,000 liters a month is about P263 only.

In light of those who will lose their jobs fetching water, Paulino gave assurance that his administration has enough jobs in store for them.

“The Americans are starting to go to Subic Bay. Please visit our city hall as we have numerous job opportunities in store for you; don’t be contented fetching water for your neighbors for the rest of your lives,” said Paulino.

SUBICWATER implemented the first built-operate-and-transfer (BOT) scheme for a water and sewerage system in Asia when it took over the water supply and sewerage system of the Subic Bay Freeport and Olongapo City in April 1997.

The firm, which was formed by a joint-venture agreement in 1996, is owned by Filipino construction firm DM Consunji Inc. (DMCI), Singaporean water specialist Sembcorp Industries Ltd. (Sembcorp), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), and Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Hernan Habacon)

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SHOWER OF BLESSINGS: A resident of Nagbaculao, Barangay Kalaklan gets sprayed with water as Olongapo City Mayor Rolen C. Paulino (leftmost) leads the inauguration rites of Subic Water and Sewerage Co., Inc.'s (SUBICWATER) recently-completed water supply expansion project— one of the three projects worth P54.3 that were activated on Monday. SUBICWATER Chairman Herbert Consunji (fourth from left) and company CEO Apollo C. Tiglao (in blue shirt), Barangay Kalaklan head Willie Umali (second from left) and other city officials joined the community’s celebration.

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Subicwater activates P50-M filtration facility

Private water-utility firm Subic Water and Sewerage Co. Inc. (Subicwater) activated on Wednesday a new filtration facility for its water-distribution system in Olongapo City with a capital expenditure of P50 million.

Subicwater Chairman Herbert Consunji, who led the inauguration ceremonies at the Mabayuan Water Treatment Plant (MWTP) in Olongapo, said the project will boost the water-treatment capacity of the Mabayuan plant by 36 percent, or about 10 million liters per day (MLD).

The plant, which supplies water to more than 18,200 water concessionaires in the northern part of this city, can now operate on a maximum capacity of 38 MLD because of the new filtration facility.

The service areas that will benefit most are the villages of Kalaklan, Mabayuan, East and West Bajac-bajac, Sta. Rita, Gordon Heights and Old Cabalan.

Consunji  inaugurated the Mabayuan facility with Olongapo Mayor James Gordon Jr., Director Anne Gordon of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Subicwater Director Graham Fairclough, Subicwater General Manager Edna Canlas and Assistant General Manager Jaime Garcia.

Consunji said that with more water being channeled into the distribution network, pressure in the pipes increases.

“This allows Subicwater to reach more households and establishments in MWTP’s service area of seven barangays, which are ountainous for the most part,” he said. (Henry Empeño, Business Mirror)

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Subicwater unveils US$1-M sewage treatment plant

Subic Water and Sewerage Company Inc. (Subicwater), a private utility firm operating here and in Olongapo City, inaugurated on Thursday its newest sewage treatment plant worth US$1-million.

The new treatment plant brings the number of Subicwater’s sewage treatment facilities to six. The firm also operates two water treatment facilities here and in Olongapo City.

The inauguration, which was held inside the Subicwater compound here, was graced by Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman Feliciano Salonga, Subicwater chairman Herbert Consunji, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce president Danny Piano, SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya dela Llana-Koval, and Subicwater board president Lex Magrata, who represented the City of Olongapo.

During the simple ribbon-cutting ceremony, SBMA’s Salonga praised Subicwater for what he said was “another major accomplishment towards attaining the vision of this free port to fully comply with the Clean Water Act of the Philippines.”

“This new sewage plant demonstrates Subicwater’s commitment to ensure the health and sanitation of our communities. It is worth its million-dollar cost as, in the end, the bay of Subic from where thousands of people depend for their living, will be protected from wastewater pollution,” Salonga stressed.

Salonga also commended Subicwater officials for “putting their money where their mouth is.”

According to Subicwater officials, the new facility employs the sequencing batch reactor technology (SBR) and is capable of handling five million liters of wastewater daily.

The facility is expected to treat 64 percent of the sewage being generated at the central business district of the Subic Bay Freeport.

Subicwater’s Consunji, meanwhile, said that Subicwater takes pride in being among the best in the country in terms of complying with the Clean Water Act.


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“As we adhere to the Clean Water Act of 2004, the people can expect Subicwater to push for the construction of more sewage treatment plants in the Subic Bay Freeport and in the City of Olongapo,” said Consunji.

Subicwater officials also said that a sewerage master plan for this free port and the adjacent city of Olongapo is currently in the works.

The long-term target, they added, is to totally eliminate the threat posed by untreated wastewater, which environmentalists point out as the greatest contributor of both surface and ground water pollution.

Subicwater implemented the first built-operate-and-transfer (BOT) scheme for a water and sewerage system in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, taking over the operation of the water supply and sewerage system in this free port in 1997.

The firm was formed by a joint-venture agreement in 1996 among the SBMA, Biwater PLC of Great Britain, DM Consunji Inc., and the now-defunct Olongapo City Water District. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

Photo: SBMA Chairman Feliciano G. Salonga (2nd from left) tours the $1-million wastewater treatment plant put up by the Subic Water and Sewerage Company Inc. at the Subic Bay Freeport. The new facility is expected to help reduce water pollution in the Subic Bay area.

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