Metro Pacific Water allots P23 billion for infrastructure upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Pacific Water (MPW), a unit of Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp., is looking to invest P23 billion over the next five years to improve its water service portfolio in the Philippines and Vietnam.

The company said the investment would support its projects, including the development of new water sources, treatment and distribution infrastructure and network rehabilitation.

Other plans include the reduction of non-revenue water, the repair of pipelines and investments in technologies designed to improve the reliability and efficiency of water systems.

“Water security is economic security, and this P23 billion investment is our commitment to building the infrastructure the next generation will depend on,” MPW president and CEO Andrew Pangilinan said.

He added that MPW’s investment improves its ability to expand capacity and pursue new opportunities to create stronger regional water operations across Southeast Asia.

“Our cross-country experience has allowed us to combine local operating experience with technologies and solutions that can be deployed across different markets,” Pangilinan said.

The renewed investment comes as MPW marks its 15th year. Established in 2011, the company has expanded from being a water investment platform into a diversified water infrastructure and services company.

Its subsidiary Metro Pacific Water Solutions (MPWS) also supports the company’s expansion toward wastewater treatment, engineering and innovative water technology solutions. It has completed more than 700 projects for sewage treatment plants nationwide.

Total installed water production and treatment capacity reached 798 million liters per day, a 20-percent increase from 667 MLD last year.

The company said it has been deploying innovative modular treatment technologies, including brackish water reverse osmosis and seawater reverse osmosis systems, meant to augment supply in scarce areas and areas with poor raw water quality.

This allows MPW to develop additional sources faster while other longer-term infrastructure projects are being completed.

It currently serves about 221,000 households across Iloilo, Dumaguete and San Jose del Monte in Bulacan. It also operates as a bulk water supplier through joint venture partnerships with local water districts in Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro.

Its overseas operations include providing water to industrial zones in Nghe An, Vietnam’s largest province, through subsidiaries Tuan Loc Water Resources Investment Joint Stock Co. and Phu Ninh Water.