Last April 24, the Government of the Philippines and the Government of Japan entered into an agreement to implement the Water Supply Improvement Project of the Metro Cebu Water District together with the coastal management project of the Philippine Coast Guard. The grant agreements were signed by Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan and the incoming Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Noriako Niwa. NEDA 7 was involved in the review of the project proposal and finalization of the grant agreement between MCWD and JICA.

The MCWD Water Supply Improvement Project aims to ensure a reliable supply of clean water among consumers in the Metro Cebu area through a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. This will provide an integrated, more accurate, and real-time data collection and analysis through the use of scientific decision-support systems. Total cost of the project is PhP 501 Million.

“By developing the water infrastructure in Cebu, JICA hopes to help the Philippines attract more investments and create jobs in Cebu and nearby growth areas,” JICA Senior Representative to the Philippines Takahiro Morita said.

Meanwhile, the coastal management of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) worth PhP 501 million involves the supply of communication equipment for search and rescue operations. It aims to minimize maritime-related disasters for public safety and enable effective and efficient command control within the PCG and other related agencies nationwide.

“The objectives of these projects are all in line with the strategies of the Updated Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 in improving access to and adequacy of basic infrastructure services and the creation of a safer and more secured environment,” Secretary Balisacan said.

Both projects are set to be implemented from April 2014 to March 2017. (SLE/PDIPB/NEDA 7)