Program for water supply improvement to be implemented in Catbalogan City

By LAIMINH MABULAY
July 16, 2013

CATBALOGAN CITY – The City of Catbalogan is the latest Local Government Unit to become a recipient of the Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig sa Lahat (Salintubig) Program – which is being undertaken by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to make clean and safe water supply accessible in several municipalities and barangays.

To mark this development, Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan personally came to the DILG Regional Office 8 in Tacloban City to receive the cheque worth P1.3 Million to be used for the first tranche of the project.

The turn-over of said grant was facilitated by DILG Assistant Regional Director Arnel M. Agabe and Salintubig Program Manager Engineer Ofelia Pido. City Department Heads Engr. Arnaldo Aroza, City Planning and Development Coordinator and Ms. Elizabeth Lim, the ICO - Assistant City Treasurer was also with the mayor to witness this occasion.

The said amount, which is just half of the total project cost of P2.650 Million, shall be used to fund the installation of underwater pipes to access fresh water from the Catbalogan City main land to the island barangays of Darahuway Dako and Darahuway Gote.

The City Government will be forming a partnership with the Catbalogan Water District for implementing this project. At least 20% of the expenditures in the first tranche must be liquidated first before the City Government can get hold of the remaining funds, which will then be used for the water supply in Sitio Majaba, another island community.

The Salintubig Program first came to be in December 2010 through a Memorandum of Agreement signed by the DILG, the Department of Health and the National Anti-Poverty Commission. This was in response to item no. 7 of the Millennium Development Goal which aims to reduce by 50% the world population without access to safe and potable water.