Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara told The STAR that officials of the World Bank, the USEC as well as multilateral donor agencies such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) advised governors, mayors and managers of local water utilities to follow the Cabanatuan model during a recent seminar held in Honolulu, Hawaii recently.
Vergara was lecturer during the seminar and discussed the topic "Best Practices for Local Governments." The seminar drew 120 participants from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Indonesia, China and the Philippines and First World countries such as the United States, Canada and Great Britain.
Vergara, who was accompanied in the trip by Cabanatuan City Water district (CCWD) general manager and chairman of the board Mario Villasan and Arthur Villasan, respectively, discussed the city government’s various programs. He shared how the city government reduced its P250-million debt to only P75 million through sound fiscal management.
He explained to seminar participants that implementing infrastructure projects "by administration," or by the local government unit (LGU) itself is effective in managing the city’s scarce resources. "This system of management does not only eliminate graft but most importantly, it promotes intelligent utilization of funds," he said.
World Bank officials said Vergara’s projects are "sustainable, doable and practicable." They cited in particular the drainage project in this city which will render as flood-free some 18 barangays near the city proper.
Vergara said that the project is the only one of its kind in Third World Countries as it is not only environment-friendly but it also combines and integrates the features of drainage, sewerage and wastewater treatment facility into one which would eliminate perennial flooding in the city and protect its rivers and creeks from waste water pollutants.
"This project is unique in that other countries such as Indonesia and Thailand do not have a comprehensive drainage, sewerage and wastewater treatment plant. They only rely on septic tanks which emit foul odor when there is flood," he said.
Vergara said that the comprehensive project is now 60 percent complete. The Gabaldon outfall is now 72 percent finished while the other outfalls — Zulueta, Sanciangco, Gen. Luna-Aduas, Ortiz, Mabini and Parumog – are 57 percent complete.
He said that the project could be finished in September at the earliest if there is no rain. But if it rains, the completion date could be moved to December.
Vergara allayed fears that the project could cause massive floods in Barangay Aduas since eight suction pipes will be installed that will bring in water to Barangay Isla where the wastewater treatment plant will be placed. "Of course, the only occasion when there will be floods in when the Pampanga River overflows," he said.
The young mayor stressed that a comprehensive water management strategy is necessary considering the threat of scarce water supply worldwide.
Citing statistics, he said that 97 percent of the world’s water sources are not potable because they are mostly seawater and water from marshlands which are brackish. Of the remaining three percent, he said that 2.7 percent are glaciers from Antarctica and the North and South Poles.