NOTE: THIS PRESS RELEASE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
A significant portion of the Bohol populace sighed a collective relief as the long-standing impasse between the LGU Loboc led by reelected mayor Raymond Jala, and the LWI (Loboc Waterworks Inc) led by its industrialist chairman Richard Lim Sr., has been resolved. They had cast aside differences and sealed a deal of cooperation between the public and private sectors for the benefit of the community.
Thus, a new era of progress by making safe, potable water available has ensued, and by June 30, 2025, will be the target date for the Sikatuna tank of the LWI group to start cascading down water for treatment and distribution by the LWI WTP (water treatment plant) in Loboc.
LWI gets Boheco’s electric power, and piping activities can now go full throttle with the concurrence of the DPWH and PAMBI government, with the endorsement from the Loboc LGU. To be serviced by then would be Loboc, Sikatuna, Albur, Baclayon, Cortes, Tagbilaran City, Dauis, and Panglao. If warranted, LWI can also serve Corella, Loay, Loon, and Maribojoc towns.
WATER CAPACITY BUILDING
The Richly-LWI group, supported by a consortium of banks, is the first major private sector group to use state-of-the-art water treatment facilities utilizing the fresh, clean water of the river through the Malingin Bulk Water Project, utilizing the WTP in Patrocinio, Cortes (capacity: 10 million liters per day) and the Loctob spring project (capacity: 5 mld) for a combined output of 15 mld.
This will be actualized once the 3rd Rapid Sand Filtration (RSF) in Cortes is finished. But since demand is growing faster than supply, the group sees a need to construct another wtp (capacity mld) once the water permit application with NWRB is released. Once approved, the combined capacity will scale up to 24 mld. Applied for with NWRB is a 600 liters per second project on January 10, 2025.
It must be noted that the ECC (environmental clearance) which was issued by the DENR for the group on May 28, 2018 covers a total capacity of 25 mld.
One remaining obstacle in the firm’s water expansion goals is the long-standing denial (since 2023) of a certain Engr Calatrava of Cortes, preventing the LGU from granting the group a building permit to erect another wtp using the Uhan Spring water in Cortes
Overall, however, the Richli-LWI group is elated with most LGUs who are cooperating in bringing to the homes and businesses of people, surface spring water to make outdated deep-well sourced and potentially dirty water to become a thing of the past.
NOTE: THIS PRESS RELEASE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.