The Manila Water story/ Silliman’s 2014 best alumni
Until the 1990s, Metro Manila’s water supply was in crisis. Only a certain percentage of the population were served. Water distribution was intermittent. Problems of non-paying customers, pilferage and leakage, were the order of the day.
It took the intervention of then President Corazon Aquino and former President Fidel Ramos to reverse the water situation from worse to better. This was on account of the government improving water services through the implementation of public-private partnership (PPP).
The government saw that the concession model was ideal for the metropolitan area. The private sector was then invited to invest in the operations of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), the government’s corporate arm mandated to provide water and sewerage services in Metro Manila. It served a total of 15 million people.
Two 15-year concessions were auctioned with the PPP arrangements administered by concession agreements signed by the government and the winning bidders for the two zones – the East Zone and the West Zone.
In 1997, two concession contracts for the eastern and western parts of Metro Manila were awarded to the private sector. Through a very stringent and transparent bidding process, the Ayala-led Manila Water Company, Inc. won the concession for the East Zone, while the Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) won the concession for the West Zone. Manila Water was a joint venture among three business groups: Ayala Corp., Bechtel Enterprises Inc., and United Utilities, and later, joined by Mitsubishi.
As the concessionaire of the MWSS for Metro Manila’s East Zone, Manila Water services over 6 million customers in 23 cities. East Zone includes Pasig, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Marikina, Taguig, Pateros, parts of Manila and Quezon City and the province of Rizal.
The government (the MWSS) remains the owner of the water utility, but the concessionaires are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the water assets, as well as additional investments to improve and expand services, exercise the right to bill and collect for water and wastewater services within their service area.
How Manila Water made an ailing public utility (become) a commercially viable enterprise which received such awards as the International War Association’s Global Project Innovation and the prestigious Asian Human Capital Award by the Government of Singapore, is told by Virgilio Rivera, group director of the Manila Water Corporate Strategy and Development, in a book entitled “TAP SECRETS, The Manila Water Story.”
The TAP major secrets are Enable, Empower, and Excel. The secrets are, in Rivera’s words, the “managerial approach that focuses on bringing out the best in its people to accomplish challenges that seem insurmountable when the company took over from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System in 1997.”
Rivera brought along his executives to a session of Bulong Pulungan to show how they contributed to the success of Manila Water. They included Ferdinand de la Cruz, group director, Manila Water East Zone Business Operations and Jeric Sevilla, Manila Water Corporate Communications. Smart and efficient female executives were also present at the session.
In his book, Rivera assures that Manila Water “will replicate its success in the East Zone in areas outside the concession… to provide clean and safe water to more communities.” Now we are provided with a 7/24 water supply that is safe to drink.
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The 2014 Outstanding Sillimanian Awardees are Jenny Lind R. Aldecoa Delorino and Pamela Young Windle.
During her college days, Jenny Lind R. Aldecoa-Delorino was a prominent campus figure who was a recipient of many awards, including most popular freshman, university talent award, and most outstanding junior student award. She graduated from Silliman University with a bachelor of arts degree in political science (magna cum laude), a certificate in Southeast Asian and Philippine Studies in 1981, and bachelor of laws (cum laude) in 1985.
Currently, she is the deputy court administrator of the Supreme Court. Prior to her rise to this second highest position in the Office of the Court Administrator, she served the Court of Appeals in different capacities as a private secretary, court attorney II, and court attorney V. She then joined the Supreme Court as court attorney VI and was later appointed as judge of the Dumaguete city regional trial court, branch 37. Subsequently, she served as the presiding judge of Makati City and vice-president for internal affairs of the Philippine Judges Association before her promotion as assistant court administrator.
Her citation notes that “Throughout her professional career, she has demonstrated unequivocal regard for the law and deep commitment to uphold justice. Her indomitable spirit has been tested many times when she had to decide on controversial cases and clean up her chambers of corrupt practices. Despite pressures and criticisms, she was able to dispense justice fairly, a proof of her incorruptible nature, which she attributes to her core: her unwavering faith.”
While she is uncompromising when it comes to upholding her principles, Judge Aldecoa-Delorino remains “gentle and humane in matters that deserve compassion,” acknowledges Atty. Mikhael Lee L. Maxino, dean of Silliman College of Law. This is evident in her unwavering support for projects that benefit the less fortunate. For years, she has generously lent her talent to good causes, earning her reputation as “ the singing judge.” Everybody who knows her work would concede that she is as competent in the court as she is on stage, a talent nurtured by her family — the famous Aldecoa Family Singers.
A true-blue Sillimanian, she continues a legacy of pursuing excellence and living the ideals of Via, Veritas, Vita. She is the fourth in the Aldecoa family to be honored as Outstanding Sillimanian. Her grandfather, Venancio I. Aldecoa Sr., was an awardee in the field of education in 1969, and her father, Justice Venancio D. Aldecoa Jr., in the field of government service in 2007. An aunt, Caridad Aldecoa-Rodriguez, was an awardee in the field of historical research in 2001.
Judge Aldecoa-Delorino is married to banker Chito; they have a daughter, Jemima Carina.
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An alumna of Silliman University College of Nursing, Pamela Yang Windle has dedicated her life to the promotion and enrichment of nursing care. Since obtaining her bachelor of science in nursing in 1973, she has sought continuous professional development, consequently obtaining a master of science degree in nursing administration from Texas Woman’s University in Houston, Texas and certificates in post anesthesia and ambulatory perianesthesia nursing. She is nurse executive board-certified and is a fellow of the American Academy in Nursing.
At St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, Texas, Pamela is well-known for her passion and commitment as a nurse manager. Staff nurses, student nurses, and ancillary staff who have worked with her cite her innate qualities as a leader: nurturing, inspiring, and enabling. In fact, several patient care assistants under her mentorship have succeeded in establishing their own nursing careers.
Despite her busy schedule, Pamela continues to contribute to scholarship by researching evidence-based practices. Her works are well received in professional settings and have been published in peer-reviewed journals. She is also generous with her time, presenting her research in different conferences and encouraging colleagues to be involved in research, an advocacy she is bent on cultivating.
Pamela has been happily married to David, a certified public accountant, for 33 years. They have two children, Cynthia, a chief financial strategic planner in Los Angeles and, Mark, who works with the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C.
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