Two water system facilities that aim to deliver clean drinking water to residents in Magsaysay’s neediest villages were inaugurated Wednesday in simple ceremonies led by provincial and municipal government officials.
Palawan vice governor Dennis Socrates, board member Leoncio Ola, Engr. Ann Michelle Cardenas of Palawan Water, and Magsaysay mayor Manuel Abrea led the inauguration on March 16 of the Danawan Solar Powered Deepwell Water System (DSPDWS) and the Igabas Solar Powered Deepwell Water System (ISPDWS) that will supply potable water to the residents of the barangays of Danawan, Lucbuan, Igabas, and Lacaren.
The water supply system facilities is part of five that will provide potable water to 80 percent of the population of the town. Three others — Alcoba Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant, Cocoro Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant, and Balaguen Solar Powered Deepwell — are all still under construction, with completion set for April.
Drinking water scarcity has been one of the town’s most pressing issues for decades, as its population continues to grow, said Abrea, in a statement issued by the provincial government through its Provincial Information Office (PIO).
“Labis ang pasasalamat [ko] kay Gob. JCA (Jose Ch. Alvarez) para sa katuparan ng mga proyekto dito sa amin lalo na ng mga water system na magpagkukunan ng ligtas na inuming tubig sa aming bayan. Kahit maliit na munisipyo lang kami maraming salamat Gob, dahil nilaanan mo kami ng pondo para sa proyekto dito sa amin,” he said.
The province set aside P60 million for the project, with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) contributing P15 million and the municipal government adding P10.2 million, said the statement.
Cardenas noted that finishing the water system works was challenging owing to the municipality’s isolated location, but the province continued so residents can have access to safe water.
To date, the PIO said 64 water supply system projects had been completed in the province.
Board members Juan Antonio Alvarez, Maria Angela Sabando, 1st District Rep. Franz Josef E. Alvarez, former congressman Antonio Alvarez, and former board member Roseller Pineda were also in Magsaysay and attended the inaugurations.
