The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System has unveiled the Water Eco-Tourism Hub Master Plan at the MWSS Lobby to kick-start its 140th founding celebration this month with world- class urban planner Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox tasked to transform the 79-hectares Old Balara Picnic Grove into a water eco-tourism hub and to make it environmentally compliant.
“This grand plan also jibes with the “build, build, build” program of President Rodrigo Duterte as well as our vision to build a water and environment institute to better serve the present and future generations,” said MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco. “Having proven that we have collectively experienced successful Water Public Private Partnership in the last 20 years through a workable concession agreement, I am confident that this Palafox Master Plan will become a reality under the Duterte administration.”
Velasco also thanked MWSS concessionaires—Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services—for their contributions to the project.
Manila Water president and CEO Ferdinand M. Dela Cruz added, “Water and sanitation services requires a master plan, it requires a sustainable planning and really a long-term view. We extend what we can do through MWSS to promote good water and sanitation.” For his part, Maynilad president and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez, said, “This serves as a showcase for the local water industry and is definitely a good legacy of Admin Velasco together with Maynilad, Manila Water and MWSS.”
According to Jun Palafox, the master plan will try to snake around the trees or between the trees which will be a model community, a community within a forest or a forest within a community. “I think this will be a classic sample of public private partnership and everyone will be a stakeholder,” he said. “This can be a model also on how to make places walkable, bikeable, livable, safer, more sustainable, and more resilient. Plus, this is our gift to the whole country where we can live peacefully in a patriotic, humanist and architectural society.”
The unveiling was hosted by Maynilad AVP for Government Relations Anette Hernandez de Ocampo, and Manila Water Head of Corporate Communications Jeric Sevilla.
The unveiling of the MWSS Palafox Master Plan is among the highlights of the MWSS 140th celebration and the successful 20 years of Public-Private Partnership instituted by former President Fidel V. Ramos in 1997.