David's Column

At Large : Gift to a hometown

Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service

HOMETOWN boys who make good pay back their places of origin in various ways: donating money for scholarships or municipal showcases, bringing in investments that provide jobs for town mates, or enshrining the family name in a church pew or school building.

For businessman Jolly Ting, who made his bundle in what might be euphemistically called the entertainment business, giving back to his hometown of Calapan in the province of Oriental Mindoro, south of Manila, took the form of clean and potable water.

"Before we came in," recalls Calapan Waterworks Corp. general manager Alex Manto, "the water here was just undrinkable. You couldn't drink it, bathe with it or even wash clothes with it." He remembers wondering why an associate who accompanied him on his first visit to Calapan had brought with him an inordinate number of water bottles, until he tried to brush his teeth with the water gushing from the faucet. "I nearly threw up," says Manto. "It tasted salty and reeked of mud."

After years of neglect by the old water utility and the digging of private deep wells, salt water had begun to infiltrate Calapan's groundwater supply, resulting in brackish water flowing from faucets. So high was the salt content that the townsfolk could not even get soap to lather for their baths or laundry. Residents who could afford it bought their water from private water haulers who tapped groundwater aquifers. But whether bought or tapped from the faucets, the quality and safety of the water supply remained doubtful, placing residents' health at risk since even the provincial hospital relied on trucked-in water for its supply.

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INDEED, it's an irony and an injustice that a basic service, such as clean water, should remain inaccessible and expensive for the poor. Studies have shown that the poorest Filipinos pay more for basic services like water than those who are relatively better off. This is because many impoverished communities don't have piped-in water, with families relying on private water haulers who charge more per liter of water without any guarantees on water safety.

Seeking a solution to the dire problem of Calapan's water supply, then Mindoro Gov. Rodolfo Valencia talked with Ting, chair of Jolliville Holdings Inc., to buy the waterworks franchise and rehabilitate the moribund water utility.

Fully aware of the need for a safe water system for his hometown, Ting acquired Calapan Waterworks from the previous owners in 1997. But if he thought his investment in improving the water system would earn him the gratitude of his town mates, Ting had another think coming. As Manto recalls: "We met with opposition from different parties, from city council members to NGOs." Among the more vociferous opposers were the water haulers who had been making quite a profit over the years, while some environmentalists raised alarms about the possible depletion of the groundwater supply with the drilling for new wells. In fact, the utility had to go to court twice to put an end to the continuous harassment of their workers and projects. Most protest actions subsided though after Calapan Waterworks secured a congressional franchise.

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LAST year, with Oriental Mindoro Gov. Arnan Panaligan, who was Calapan mayor at the time Ting bought the waterworks, as guest of honor, Calapan Waterworks inaugurated its second well in Baranagay Tawiran, which with a previous well now supplies the needs of some 2,000 households in 23 barangays. Manto says they were also forced to dig for an entirely new network of pipes since the old ones were too unreliable to ensure the safety of the water supply.

Over the past six years, Calapan Waterworks has invested about P50 million in capital expenditure and infrastructure, mainly because, says Manto, "Mr. Ting insisted he wanted only the best quality." In fact, says the Waterworks GM, "we use Manila Water as our benchmark," ensuring that they use the same technology and materials as the Metro Manila concessionaire. Even more important, Calapan folk are now assured of a supply of safe and clean water, passing all the tests of the Department of Health and the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD). "This means that we are of the same quality as bottled water!" declares Manto proudly.

Also significant is the fact that even as their water quality has improved tremendously, Calapeños are paying less for their water. Where before water peddlers sold water at P5 per gallon, or an equivalent of P2,000 per cubic meter, the new rate for piped-in water is just P13 per cubic meter!

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ON A VISIT to Calapan over the weekend, we passed by the new wells that now transmit the city's water supply. We found spanking new concrete sheds surrounded by landscaped gardens, with Manto explaining, "We wanted everything to look clean and spotless because we're dealing with water, which is a health product. We need our customers to feel confident about the safety of the water we pipe into our homes."

Indeed, the new wells are a stark contrast to the ones operated by the previous franchise holder, judging from photos hung on Calapan Waterworks offices. The old wells were housed in rusty ramshackle huts, amid muddy surroundings that indeed would not bode well about the quality of the water those wells produced.

Hometown boys who make good may choose to embark on ego- and image-boosting projects that may only make them popular but do little to serve their town mates. Calapan is lucky that one such "son" has chosen instead to channel his goodwill into an investment that took years before it began turning a (modest) profit, but which has produced immeasurable "returns" in terms of improved health and quality of life.