MCWD: Tagbao’s Manggasan Falls a probable water source

Manggasang Falls, Tagbao, Cebu City.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Metropolitan Cebu Water District or MCWD continues to look for new sources of water in Metro Cebu that they hope will help match the demand for water here.

This time, the water utility firm has found a waterfall in Barangay Tagbao, Cebu City where a maximum of 200,000 cubic meters of water can be sourced from.

MCWD Chairperson Jose Daluz III along with the members of the board visited the Manggasan Falls on June 24, 2021, where they plan to build infrastructure to distribute the water to both upland and lowland areas of Cebu City.

Daluz said they had high hopes for the waterway because it could even out the cost of water for consumers once the costly desalination plants begin to operate.

This is the second waterway that the MCWD has inspected as a possible source in Cebu City, the first of which is in Barangay Budlaan.

“Wa gyud tay water crisis. Sa suroy nato sa duha ka buok waterfalls, we have (an) abundance of water. What we lack is infrastructure and development in order nga atong ma-catch ang tubig aron madeliver nato sa ubos,” said the MCWD chair.

(We don’t have a water crisis. In our visit to the two waterfalls, we have [an] abundance of water. What we lack is infrastructure and development in order to catch the water so that it can be delivered in the lowlands.)

Technical advisers of the MCWD said that developing the Manggasan Falls may cost a minimum of P500 million and can reach up to P1 billion due to the piping infrastructure to bring the water to upstream consumers.

Daluz said the Cebu City government had signified its desire to fund these projects in its own jurisdiction and Mayor Edgardo Labella promised that the city would help finance the projects.

Manggasang Falls, Tagbao, Cebu City.

If not for the city government, the MCWD may turn to joint-venture-agreements to fund and develop the water sources.

Miguelito Pato, a member of the MCWD board, said that aside from providing water supply to Metro Cebu, the development of Manggasan Falls would also contribute to the tourism of the barangays along the Manggasan River.

The development of a dam will mean developing a water park that can be opened to the public, allowing the barangay to benefit from the project.

Daluz said that if they would push through with developing the waterway, it would not be an immediate project.

He assured the public that it would be thoroughly studied to fit the needs of the residents in the area and reduce environmental impact.

Aside from Tagbao and Budlaan, MCWD is also eyeing a river and falls in Barangay Pamutan in Cebu City that can be turned into another source of water.

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