Marcos opens P3.93 billion sewage treatment plant

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos led yesterday the inauguration of a P3.93-billion mega sewage treatment plant in Mandaluyong City that has an initial capacity to treat 60 million liters of wastewater daily.

The Aglipay Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) will treat domestic wastewater from a catchment area of approximately 2,115 hectares, covering portions of Mandaluyong, San Juan and Quezon City. The facility, managed by Manila Water, will benefit more than 650,000 residents.

Wastewater collected through a 53-kilometer combined sewer-drainage system will undergo full treatment before being discharged into the Pasig River.

“Beyond the machinery, fascinating as it is, what really matters is the result, and that is cleaner water returned to the environment and reduced exposure of our people to the hazards of untreated sewage,” the President said in his speech.

“This is how a carefully planned and thoroughly executed infrastructure directly improves the lives of our people,” Marcos said. “This means that more liters of safe water are available for public consumption and more rivers and seas are preserved for future generations.”

Marcos said the facility can be expanded to 120 million liters per day to meet future demand.

The Aglipay STP, awarded in 2019 to the Megawide Consortium, forms part of the broader initiative of Manila Water and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to expand sewerage systems in the east zone.

The President noted that by reducing the amount of untreated wastewater flowing into rivers, the plant would help improve local water quality and support the long-term rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

As part of his administration’s push to strengthen water and sanitation infrastructure in Metro Manila and nearby areas, Marcos said five more wastewater treatment plants are currently under construction.

Under the Revised Concession Agreement and Republic Act Nos. 11600 and 11601, the government aims to connect 76 percent of households in Metro Manila, Cavite and Rizal to sewerage systems by 2047, with the rest covered by proper sanitation services, Marcos said.