Everyone for water, water for everyone

MANILA, Philippines - Water plays an integral role in humanity — an absolute necessity to sustain life. Unfortunately, water shortage has always been a pressing issue around the globe including in the Philippines. According to the National Water Quality Status Report of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, despite having over 140 billion cubic meters worth of water sources, only 39 percent of 525 water bodies can be sources of drinking water in the country. A primary cause cited by the local government is inefficient management of resources.

Established as a result of the public private partnership with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System in 1997, Manila Water, a subsidiary of the Ayala Corporation, has been tasked to operate, distribute, and refurbish the water and wastewater system of eastern Metro Manila and the adjacent Rizal Province. The company is responsible for providing potable water to over six million customers in areas such as Makati, Taguig, Pasig, Marikina, Pateros, San Juan, Mandaluyong, and parts of Quezon City and Manila. Since taking over the East Zone, Manila Water has significantly reduced its system loss from 67 percent to only 11 percent redounding to more than 1.1 billion liters of water delivered daily to its customers, from roughly 440 million liters per day back in 1997.  Not to mention, round-the-clock water availability has increased from 26 percent to 99 percent in the central distribution system of its concession area.

Since it started its operations, Manila Water developed a program to provide potable and affordable water services to urban poor communities. Dubbed as Tubig Para Sa Barangay (Water for the Community), the program’s key focus lies in providing a water system for clustered low-income communities and areas prone to contamination.

Manila Water has come to touch the lives of the people it serves with the Tubig Para sa Barangay program. Such is the story of Precita Cepe, a long-time resident of IVC in Olandes Marikina who shared how her and her family’s life was transformed with the provision of clean water.

Precita used to wake up very early in the morning just to line up for water. She recalls, “Hirap na hirap po kaming mag-igib, sa lagay pa niyan ay dadalawang beses lamang kaming nakakapaglaba sa loob ng isang linggo (We really had an extremely difficult time fetching water, given that we only get to do laundry twice a week). Noong dumating sa amin ang patubig at nagkaroon kami ng tig-iisang metro, ang laking ginhawa po ang naidulot sa amin (When we finally had our water connection and each had his own water meter, it was truly such a relief to us).”

It is because of this immense gratitude that Precita made sure that their water service is always in order. “Sa sobrang malasakit ko, sinisigurado ko na laging maayos ang aming patubig. Bilang vice-chairwoman ng Bantay Bayan IVC, aktibo akong nagrereport kapag may bahay na may leak. Maliban pa diyan ay gusto naming panatilihin ang maganda, malasa, at malinis na tubig. (Because of my intense concern, I always make sure that our water system is always in order. As the vice-chairwoman of Bantay Bayan IVC, I actively report any leakage. In addition, we want our water to continue to be clean and potable).”

Sharing a similar story is Lisa Lucero from Tumana, Marikina, who has been a Manila Water customer since 2008. “Biglang nagkaroon ng linya ng tubig na hindi namin inaasahan, kaya ang laking pasasalamat namin talaga. Kumbaga, biyaya na maituturing ito kaya masigasig kaming nagbabantay (When we unexpectedly had our water service, we were really grateful. We consider it as a blessing which is why we are actively monitoring everything),” shares Lisa.

As she is also the block chairwoman, Lisa expresses, “Hanggang ako ang namumuno sa amin, lahat po ng benefits at biyaya ay makakamtan ng mga tao. Sa kabila nito, kami naman ay handang tumulong sa Manila Water (As long as I am leading the community, all the benefits and blessings will be shared to the community. On the other hand, we will always be ready to help Manila Water,” she adds.

On the other hand, Maricar Lukban from Marikina Heights is one of the new customers of Manila Water. Being the president of Palmera Centro Subdivision’s resident association, Maricar has long been pushing for the acquisition of Manila Water’s services because a third-party supplier entailed higher rates and an unreliable water supply. It was just recently that her subdivision obtained the necessary permits to begin the construction of pipelines. “I am excited to experience the changes to be brought by our new water service provider,” states Maricar.

All these improvements may well be attributed to Manila Water’s dynamic and highly-decentralized approach to managing its system. Driven by its core motivation, the company aspires to become an enabler of change which will uplift the quality of life of the communities it touches — through sustainable water and effective wastewater services.  As Manila Water continues to expand its Tubig Para Sa Barangay program, its territory managers —  now numbering to more than 1,132 — are ready to assist the needs of the communities particularly at the grassroots level.

Prevelyn Gazmen, stakeholder manager at Manila Water, beams, “Since the company launched Tubig Para Sa Barangay in 1998, we have assigned territory managers to ensure that issues are addressed immediately. And together with the active cooperation of the residents, we are able to act on situations faster.”

The common culprit which leads to severe water loss and water supply problems is leakage brought about by old and improperly installed pipelines. “Our customers are active in reporting leaks, illegal connections and defective meters,” says Gazmen. The communication lines between the territory managers and the communities are open.  They (territory managers) set up meetings depending on the need of a particular area to ensure that all concerns are addressed. The communities and Manila Water have truly developed a close personal bond. Over the years, the relationship between Manila Water and its consumers continues to strengthen. According to Gazmen, this communication philosophy is a fundamental aspect of community building.

The community approach has also been expanded to include public service institutions such as public elementary and high schools, hospitals, public markets, orphanages, and even penitentiaries and detention centers under its Lingap or We Care programs.

The successful decentralized approach to attending to community needs is very evident in the recent Pubic Assessment of Water Services (PAWS) survey conducted by the University of the Philippines National Engineering Center for the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO), where 308 barangays have given Manila Water the highest ratings for its service, water supply, and quality of water delivered.

The provision of water services does not, however, end with water flowing 24/7 in the customers’ taps. Manila Water makes it a point to ensure sustainable solutions that are long-term and will guide low-income communities into being self-reliant. To promote self-sustaining communities, the company has conducted awareness efforts on topics such as the importance of water, proper sanitation, as well as environmental concepts and issues. In addition, Manila Water also focuses on programs to offer livelihood opportunities through micro-financing and capacity-building mechanisms — expanding job opportunities available to the people by way of its social and environmental arm, the Manila Water Foundation.

After more than 15 years of service to its 6.2 million customers, Manila Water has taken full responsibility of sustaining the basic necessity of water as a precious resource to millions of Filipinos, allowing people from all walks of life especially those from the marginalized communities to gain greater access to water and wastewater services. 
Indeed, Manila Water is not slowing down in its mission to contribute to building communities, protecting the environment, guarding health and safety, and contributing to socio-economic development — brightening the hopes of navigating closer towards a more sustainable future for Filipinos.