TRINIDAD, Bohol (PIA) -– The first of Bohol’s public and private partnership (PPP) for an infrastructure project that would boost public health and safety is now up and running in this town. 

Located in Barangay Hinlayagan Ilaud, the 1 Million Liters per Day (MLD) water treatment plant is the result of a partnership between the municipal government of Trinidad and Richli Corporation. 

“This is a PPP project between the LGU which has entered into an agreement for bulk water potable supply using the country’s newly signed PPP Code or Republic Act No 11966,” explained Trinidad Mayor Roberto Cajes during the blessing and inauguration of the water treatment plant.

The project would help Trinidad gain access to clean, safe drinking water. 

The bulk water plant will serve not only Trinidad but also the nearby communities of San Miguel, Ubay, Bien Unido, and Talibon.

The facility uses a seven-step water treatment process using the modular hybrid design to be flexible enough to allow adjustments in any of the seven steps used in the process, ensuring water quality that passes the Philippine National Standards for potable drinking water.

“We are using the 7-step process to make sure there is no bacteria left in the product, even as a monitoring of the residual chlorination is constantly done in the pipelines, bringing it down to a minimum of 0.5,” said plant engineer and manager Alfredo Calinawan. 

Calinawan added that the facility also follows the Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards.

During the facility’s blessing and inauguration, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa hailed the project for being one of the first to use this kind of model in providing potable and safe drinking water to communities. 

With the plant producing one million liters of potable water a day, Herbosa said DOH can already build a laboratory affixed to the town’s Rural Health Unit. 

“We will erect a laboratory, something we can hardly do without the water,” he said. 

Richli Corp. draws water from Hinlayagan River of the upper tributary of the Ipil River in the town. 

The municipal government and Richli Corp. signed a bulk water supply contract in July 2023 as part of the town’s preparations for the onset of El Niño this year. 

Part of the contract is that two more 100-cubic meter water tanks will be built and 8 kilometers of pipelines will be laid down by Richli Corp. at no expense to the municipality, said Cajes. 

Trinidad is a third class municipality located 99 kilometers away from the capital city of Tagbilaran. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)