COTABATO CITY — The Regional Board of Investments – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-ARMM) has accepted the establishment of a PhP40-million water treatment plant in Barangay Macaguiling, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
Lawyer Ishak Mastura, RBOI-ARMM chair and managing head, said that the bulk water supply and treatment investment project involves the construction, installation and operation of 5,000 cubic meters per day (CMD) water treatment facility tapping the water resource from Simuay River in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
“The project is very relevant since we are experiencing water shortage especially during dry season,” Mastura said.
He added that with such facility, constituents of Sultan Kudarat town and the nearby municipalities of Sultan Mastura and Parang, among others, could now rely on a more stable supply of affordable and clean water.
Mastura said treatment of water would undergo several processes and cleaning stages before distributed to households ready for drinking and consumption.
Mastura, who identified the Mactan Rock TGV Builders Corporation as the builder and operator of the project, said the firm would enjoy fiscal incentives such as income tax holidays for six years as well as other incentives being provided by the government upon the start of its commercial operation under a pioneer status.
He said Mactan Rock could also provide bulk water supply and treatment facility for the Metro Cotabato Water District (MCWD) in this city.
MCWD is a government-owned and controlled corporation water facility that serves Cotabato City and two municipalities in Maguindanao province – Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat.
This year alone, RBOI – ARMM has registered a total of PhP3.2-billion worth of investments, posting an increase of 53 percent as compared to 2016’s PhP2.11-B. The rise is attributed to the registration of telecommunications company TierOne Communications that invested the highest this year at PhP3-B.
Aside from Mactan Rock, other companies with approved projects in 2017 are the Bangsamoro Terminal Services (BTS) Inc. (Php129M), J. Sayang Shipping Lines Inc. (Php33.5M), and Abing Seafoods and Cold Storage (PhP32M).
ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, in a statement, said that despite the five-month urban war that occured in Marawi City this year, he is optimistic that more investments will pour into the region in 2018.
“Investments in the region now are more diverse since projects registered this year are non-agri which include logistics, telecommunications, seafood storage, shipping, and bulk water supply and treatment plant which means that the region is ready for projects other than agriculture-based”.
The governor also lauded RBOI-ARMM for surpassing its PhP1-B investment target for 2017. (PNA)
