The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority will be the sole regulator of water and sewerage systems in tourism zones, including the island paradise of Boracay.
TIEZA chief operating officer Pocholo Paragas said the Office of the President has recently affirmed a decision of the Department of Justice giving the mandate to TIEZA.
“With the affirmation of the OP that TIEZA has the regulatory authority over the water and sewerage services in Boracay, we want to make good to this mandate and ensure that rehabilitation efforts are for the long-term,” said Paragas.
“In fact, even before the pronouncement of President Duterte to rehabilitate Boracay, the TIEZA Board has already allotted more than P1 billion to improve its water and drainage systems and had already commenced the project last December,” he added.
Part of TIEZA’s mandate is the development of tourism zones and tourism economic zones as well as tourism infrastructure projects in the country.
“TIEZA works to rehabilitate our tourism assets and create new ones with partner-investors. We want to implement sustainability practices not only in Boracay but also to replicate it in other tourism areas,” he said.
In Boracay, TIEZA’s deputized unit, the TIEZA Regulatory Office, is working closely with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the existing water service providers in Boracay Island, namely Boracay Tubi System Inc. and the Boracay Island Water Company, Inc., to institute more accountability and ensure better services.
“With TIEZA as the sole regulator of water utilities, we will prioritize the overall satisfaction of the customers of the WSPs, especially the tourists. We will ensure the sustainability of the water management systems of the WSPs,” said TIEZA RO Chief Regulator Darren Fernandez.
Fernandez said in the next few weeks, the plan is to harmonize rules and standards to level the playing field and create a truly competitive setting for the WSPs.
“A single regulatory body overseeing the water and sewerage systems in the island is expected to contribute to the rehabilitation of Boracay as both WSPs’ operational data can now be benchmarked to promote efficiency with incentives and penalties for failure to meet commitments. Competition in the provision of water supply and sewerage/sanitation services is expected to be more vibrant under this regulatory scheme,” Fernandez added.
