The Devt body okayed P3.4b to boost Oro’s sanitation needs

– Advertisement –

THE expected P3.4 billion sewerage project in Cagayan de Oro has received strong support from the City Council and Regional Development Council of Region X (RDC-X).

This is an important milestone that will help to continue the project and respond to the urgent sanitation of the city.

That amount also accounts for 43% of the P8.289-billion annual investment plan (AIP) of Cagayan de Oro for 2023, which was approved by the City Development Council (CDC) on September 27, 2022.

Last Thursday, the City Hall settled the annual investment plan (AIP) based on the city development plan and comprehensive land use plan during the full CDC meeting.

A massive P3.4 billion investment is slated to fund an extensive city sewerage project, a cornerstone of Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy’s RISE environmental agenda.

The project was presented by Engr. Armen Cuenca, the Cagayan de Oro City Local Environment and Natural Resources (CLENR) officer.

He stated that this is part of the RISE (Regional Leadership, Institutional Development, Safety, and Security, and Economic Recovery) environmental agenda of Mayor Uy’s administration.

In Cuenca’s report, the project is also supported by the National Sewerage and Septage Management Program under Republic Act 9275.

This program requires the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to coordinate with local government units (LGUs) to establish a compliance plan for connecting establishments and households to the sewerage system.

In the 7-page report, it was mentioned that Mayor Uy prioritized an important sewerage project as part of his environmental agenda.

This huge investment, which includes construction costs, price contingencies, engineering design, construction management, and land acquisition, will be allocated in two phases from 2022 to 2037.

It was also stated that the project is in line with the Clean Water Act of 2004, or Republic Act No. 9275, which directs the Local Government Units (LGUs) to develop a program for septage and sewerage management.

The Act also allows LGUs to use land for the construction of sewage and/or septage treatment facilities and to generate funds for these facilities through local property taxes and service fees.

In addition, it provides a 50% subsidy for sewerage and septage projects in highly urbanized cities.

The project is in line with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular No. 2019-62, which emphasizes the roles of LGUs in implementing the sewerage treatment and septage management system.

City Ordinance No. 13827-2020 also provides support for the project, which aims to build a septage and sewerage system in Cagayan de Oro City.

According to the report, the project is in line with the city’s Local Sustainable Sanitation Plan, which aims to ensure that by the year 2030, residents (“Kagay-anon”) will have full access to safe and adequate water supply, sanitation , and healthy health. environment.

A feasibility study for the project was conducted by Woodfields Engineers Company from March 2017 to July 2018.

“The study was conducted to assist the DPWH in providing a subsidy for the project, which will cover 50% of the cost of the project,” explained the report.

The project is divided into two phases: Phase 1 from 2022 to 2029 and Phase 2 from 2030 to 2037. The projected total water demand from 2022 to 2037 is 68.62 million liters per day (MLD ).

The estimated total investment cost for Phase 1 is P2.047 billion, and for Phase 2, it is P1.354 billion, bringing the total to P3.401 billion.

This cost includes construction, price contingencies, engineering design, construction management, and land acquisition, as stated in the report.

According to the report, 50% of the financing for Phase 1 is expected to be provided as a grant from the DPWH-NSSMP, while the remaining 50% will come from the LGU.

Currently, the necessary documents for the NSSMP Grant Application have been prepared and the Local Sustainable Sanitation Plan has been adopted by the City Council.