Subicwater inaugurates newest sewage treatment plant

MANILA, Philippines - Consunji led Subic Water and Sewerage Company Inc. (Subicwater), a private utility firm operating in Olongapo City, has recently inaugurated its newest sewage treatment plant worth $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 in Subic Bay Freeport and in Olongapo City.

During the simple ribbon cutting ceremony, SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga praised Subicwater for what he said was “another major accomplishment towards attaining the vision of this freeport 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 said.

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

 “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.