SUBIC BAY FREEPORT - A major health concern in the Philippines that has recently received plenty of attention from the public is wastewater treatment.
A 2015 study done by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) determined that only 10% of households and commercial establishments in the country are capable of effective wastewater treatment before it is released into tributaries.
The rest rely on septic tanks and septage hauling, which brings about further risk of groundwater contamination, due to poorly designed units and improper disposal.
Fortunately, this has also created more awareness regarding the issue. Better technologies are now being offered and stricter laws are being enforced to ensure that Local Government Units (LGUs), domestic units, and businesses properly treat their sewage before it is released into open waters.
SUBICWATER, unfazed, seamlessly adopted measures to immediately comply with the strict guidelines set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through Administrative Orders (DAOs) 2016-08 and 2021-19.
Measures which, while effective, were costly due to the high prices of the chemicals and microorganisms needed to be able to comply with the government mandates.
This served as one of the major factors to prompt the company to identify specific upgrades that would equip seven (the Boton Facility was already designed based on the DAO requirements) of SUBICWATER’s eight Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) with the appropriate equipment to negate the use of the exorbitantly priced chemicals, and implement cost-effective processes.
An endeavor that has finally seen its conclusion with the upgrade of its 7 wastewater treatment facilities including the CBD STP and the ENRON STP, and equally significant, the completion of the Cubi Lift Station and sewerage transmission network.
SUBICWATER Conducts Hybrid Inauguration of Wastewater Treatment Facilities
During the physical inauguration of the upgraded CBD STP on February 19, 2024- a milestone joined by the SBMA, Subic Bay Water Regulatory Board (SBWRB) and heads of SUBICWATER- company CEO Benjamin Antonio, III was able to perfectly sum up the significance of the activity saying, “Through the completion of this project and our other facilities, we can safeguard the bountiful waters of the Subic Bay Freeport for future generations. I cannot emphasize enough that at SUBICWATER, we do not just plan for the next 1-3 years.
We plan for the long-term because we recognize the critical role we play in the sustainable development of this Freeport.”
The physical inauguration was also followed by a virtual ceremony for the company’s newly upgraded ENRON STP, and the recently commissioned Cubi Lift Station- a facility that signifies the hundred percent wastewater treatment coverage of all domestic and commercial customers connected to the sewerage network in the Freeport.
“Water is life,” Antonio continued during his welcome remarks adding, “And while we do our best to treat it, deliver it, preserve it for our consumption and day-to-day use, we just hope to get the bigger message across- respect it because our lives depend on it.”
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