Manila Water Co. Inc. said it invested P26.3 billion last year to enhance water and wastewater services for its 9 million customers nationwide.
The East Zone water concessionaire said in a statement on Tuesday 90 percent of the amount–equivalent to P23.6 billion–was utilized for projects located in the East Zone of Metro Manila, while the balance of P2.7 billion went to non-East Zone operating units.
Jeric Sevilla, Manila Water’s corporate affairs group director, said that in 2023, the company spent only P21.6 billion, of which P19.2 billion or 88.9 percent was spent on East Zone projects and the remaining P2.4 billion on non-East Zone developments.
Manila Water’s capital expenditures for 2024 reflected a 21.8 percent increase over its 2023 spending on projects.
The concessionaire said it has not set a specific capex target for 2025.
The company said that a significant portion of the 2024 East Zone project funding was allocated to water supply augmentation projects to ensure sustainable water supply in eastern Metro Manila and the adjacent Rizal province. This included P7.6 billion spent on developing the 200 million-liter-per-day (MLD) water treatment plant of the East Bay Phase 2 project and the 3.4-kilometer Long Term East 3 Ruhale-Bambang Felix Line.
A further P6.5 billion was allocated to various
wastewater system upgrades and improvements, including the Taguig North Sewerage System, the Ilugin Sewage Treatment Plant, and the implementation of biological nutrient removal (BNR) technology in wastewater treatment processes.
Manila Water said another major expenditure amounted to P5.6 billion for the Wawa-Calawis Phase 2 project, which aims to provide an additional 518 MLD to Antipolo, Teresa, and Baras in Rizal and parts of Metro Manila.
The water concessionaire also spent P1.5 billion on the ongoing construction of the 53-kilometer Mandaluyong-West Sewer Network Project, which features a 60 MLD sewage treatment plant and aims to benefit 700,000 customers in Mandaluyong, San Juan, and Quezon City by 2037.
The company also cited the P1.2 billion allocation in 2024 for retrofitting and upgrading the East Avenue sewage treatment plant, as well as other water supply reliability projects and maintaining common-purpose facilities.
An additional P1.2 billion was set aside to develop wastewater services in Rizal, including the Hinulugang Taktak Sewerage System and the San Mateo-Rodriguez Sewerage System.
For investments outside of the East Zone of Metro Manila in 2024, Manila Water spent P1.6 billion on Estate Water and Laguna Water for the construction of the Canlubang Sugar Estate Transmission Line in Laguna, the development of the Alviera Sewer Treatment Plant (STP) in Pampanga and the Crescendo Estate Commercial Cistern Project in Tarlac.
In addition, the company said it also spent P600 million for the upgrade of Boracay Water’s Manoc-Manoc and Balabag STPs to BNR technology and for the design and reassessment of Ilagan Water’s water treatment plant, while another P600 million went into the BNR upgrade of Clark Water’s STP and other South Luzon projects.
