Newly-installed Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President and CEO Manuel Gaerlan is supporting the position of the Clark Investors and Locators Association (CILA) to postpone or amend the DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2016-08 on Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards.
The DAO will affect the operations of Clark locators because water rate will increase by as much as 100 percent after the Clark Water Corporation (CWC) complies with the directive with the infusion of a P2.303 billion capital investment to further improve its system.
“I fully support the position of CILA,” according to Gaerlan noting the CDC had already asked DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu to postpone the implementation of the DAO last November 2020.
“As CDC management, we are also trying to protect the interests of our locators. It’s very difficult to argue with government regulator like DENR in particular. Napakalaki nung increase ng water rate. At this time, pandemic, all businesses are down. And pino propose kasi nung DENR ay yung technology na napakamahal,” said Gaerlan.
“We are researching now with the most economical equipment and technology na makakacomply naman sa quality of water,” according to Gaerlan.
“We had been appealing. Welcome ang position ng CILA, we are requesting for the postponement of the DAO. Kasi nakikita lang nila compliance,” said Gaerlan.
“Papano naman mga investors natin?” asked Gaerlan.
Gaerlan said the price of water in Vietnam and the Philippines “pareho na. Tapos ito pa ang idagdag mo sa water rate, paano na ang mga investors.”
CILA said the DAO will result to a massive P17.64 per cubic meter Extraordinary Tariff Adjustment (ETA) for water distribution alone and P24.70 per cubic meter for water distribution and sewerage services.
It would increase the water rate in Clark by as much as 100%.
In a letter to DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu dated January 11, 2021, CILA, which is representing some 90 percent of all the investors inside the Clark Freeport Zone urged the DENR to “reconsider amending” the Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards (GES).
“We would like to bring to your attention the objections and apprehensions of our members with regard to the DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2016-08 on Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards (GES) that was signed just before the end the last administration’s term which was allegedly lacking of proper public consultation and regulatory impact assessment,” said CILA.