INTERVIEWEE: Hello, I am from Used Water Operations department kasi so I can only answer

questions on Used water or waste water treatment.

INTERVIEWER: What encouraged you or your company to pursue water recycling ventures,
and is this brought about by cost cutting or are there actual benefits to choosing this venture?

INTERVIEWEE: By recycling, just to clarify, what do you mean by recycling? Meaning to reuse
the water. Currently, in manila waters, we don’t actually reuse our water reticulation. Our service
obligation as the operator of the MWSS is to treat water coming from La Mesa or Angat Dam and
then we serve it to the people. So, it’s the water being used by the East concessionaires of manila.
In turn, those who are connected to the sewer network, we treat the water. But, the water that
comes inside the water treatment facility, we don’t reuse the effluent. So, we just discharge it from
the nearest water body or rivers or whatever it is. We just ensure that it passes the “class c”
effluence of DAO. We don’t generally reuse water.

INTERVIEWER: So wala po kayong recycling ng water?

INTERVIEWEE: Potable or used water? Used water. No, we don’t. We have one facility, in one
of our treatment facilities in UP but we stopped it because we don’t have a policy yet in reusing
our treated water. Based on studies also, it is not for human consumption. It can only be used for
washing our hands, yan ganyan. So, we don’t really look into reusing it. If we will reuse it for
example, we have on facility, UPSTD, it has a simulated lagoon inside the facility, part nun ay
pumupunta sa creek na malapit but we maintain the lagoon and that’s it. We don’t use the water.
So basically, walang ganung efforts. So, we treat the used water. So, we have the sewer
connections, our customers na connected dun sa network, directly yung nagamit nilang tubig goes
into our network then we treat it. Definitely, that’s not potable. For the potable side, yun yung sa
drinakable water, so we get our water for Angat, and it goes to the La Mesa dam, so hati kami ni
Maynilad doon and then portions ng East zone ng manila, yun yung for Manila Water. We serve
them potable water, pero that’s another division na naghahandle. Kami we handle the used water.

INTERVIEWER: What positive environmental effect has been generated by your water
treatment?

INTERVIEWEE: One, we conform to DAO35 standards, DENR administrative order, we

discharge only effluent that pass the standards, example BOD levels, COD levels, PH, those
parameters na mino-monitor ng DAO, we comply with it. So, I guess in a way, we help LODA,
DENR in sustaining the water bodies, so di kami yung dumadagdag sa pollution. It’s actually one
of our service obligations, we don’t earn from doing it, we just comply and serve the East zone of
manila.
INTERVIEWER: In connection po dun, yung initiative niyo po ba, nakikipagcoordinate kayo
with local government units?

INTERVIEWEE: For treating? Yung operations kasi namin is as private entity eh. The LLDA
and DENR are the government agencies that monitor us, but not on a regular basis. They just visit
our facilities and they just do random sampling where essentially, we do our own monitoring.

INTERVIEWER: May mga mandates po ba ang government agencies kay manila water?

INTERVIEWEE: Basically yung DAO35, in terms of compliance. Yung mga meters na sinet
niya, yung mga BOD, meron mga TSL, we just comply it. Dapat di kami mag-overboard, mag-
exceed sa numbers. We just operate within our treatment plants. We do our own way in treating
domestic waste. Di nila kami controlado. We research on our own, basta we comply with DAO.

INTERVIEWER: Please explain lang po yung whole process.

INTERVIEWEE: So for the water treatment process, eto yung unang treatment facility na
inestablish ni manila water, so ang capacity niya is to treat yung tubig for La Mesa Dam to drinking
water. So with that, may mga cost and waste na napproduce sa process, isa na nga dun is yung
backwash water. So before that, ieexplain ko nalang muna yung process kung pano naggenerate
yung backwash water. So yung facility namin meron siyang 150million liters of drinking water
per day na napproduce na dinidistribute sa mga household sa San Mateo Rodriguez and sa
Marikina. Eto yung process, conventional process lang siya. Gumagamit kami ng coagulation,
flocculation, disinfection, sedimentation and post-chlorination. Kapag sinabing malinis ang
tubig, malinaw, di na namin siya nilalagyan ng chemicals, tawas, which is nangyayari usually sa
summer. Kasi di naman tag-ulan and walang run-off sa La Mesa or Angat Dam, so ang ginagawa
nalang naming ay disinfection. Ang ginagawa is nagddose ng chlorine, para mawala yung bacteria
nga. So ang iniiwasan namin is yung magka-alkal growth tapos yung mga possible water growth
diseases. Yung chlorine all year round siya, di siya nawawala. Yung chemicals, tawas and polymer,
seasonal lang. So dun, pag dinodose yung chemicals na yun, dun nabubuo yung sludge. Ibig
sabihin, finoform niya yung particles na malilit, clump niya yung particles, para luminaw siya.
Dun napapalinaw yung tubig, so halimbawa, pagbrown yung tubig tas nilagay yung chemicals na
yun, ginagather niya yung particles. Ibbind sila para magroup together, maseseparate sila,
bumibigat, nahihiwalay sa malinis na tubig. Yun yung tinatawag na sludge, yun yung cinocollect
namin and yun yung natatanggal sa filtration, gamit yung filter sand namin. So isipin niyo may
buhangin, na dadaanan ng tubig, naiiwan dun yung clump na nabuo, so yun yung nililinisan
naming na media, kasi through time, magcclog talaga yun. After 48hrs, nililinisan namin yun. Tas
dun namin ginegenerate yung backwash water. Pumupunta na siya sa wash water tank, from there
pinapasettle lang namin ulit sila, tas pagnaghiwalay na ulit sila, nirerecover namin siya. So paikot
ikot lang siya dyan sa tank na yun, tapos nirerecover namin siya, tas after 4hrs, for treatment na
ulit siya. Yun yung walang tapon. Di kami nagddischarge, wala kaming additional opex for
treatment.
INTERVIEWER: Yung treatment po ba considered po siyang recycling?

INTERVIEWEE: Oo considered siyang recycling. Inapply namin siya sa DENR as one of the
ways to minimize waste. Pwede mo naman siya itapon pero ginagawa namin na di na siya
kailangan itapon. Tinitreat namin siya sa beltpress, parang pinipiga, nirerecover lang naming na
juice. Ang matitira lang na waste ay parang buhangin na lang. Solid waste lang naman na tinatawag
na sludge yung waste sa mga water treatment.

INTERVIEWER: Kung di niyo po yun ginagawa, san po dinidispose yung waste water?

INTERVIEWEE: For the case of BBT1, pasado na siya dapat before mo siya idispose. Aside sa
retention lang, ilalabas lang sa drainage. Basta pasado siya sa effluent water quality na sinet sa
PNSDW. So ayun bago siya itapon, dapat mareach yung sinet na parameters. Kumukuha naman
ng samples para macheck. Pero for East manila nga, reuse lagi kami.

INTERVIEWER: May cost cutting effects po ba pagrerecycle ng water?

INTERVIEWEE: Actually mas tataas nga yung OpEx since nagppump ka pa ulit. Since madumi
nga yung water, so magddose ka pa ng chemicals, pero minimal lang compared sa magtapon ka.
Siguro avoided cost lang. Yung samin initiative lang namin bali parang embracing new technology
lang. Etong East lamesa, 2012 lang siya nagstart so inincorporate niya yung mga new technology
kung pano makakapagsave ganon.

INTERVIEWER: Regarding po sa pagwwork niyo together with the residences, nakikipag-work

din po ba kayo with local governments related po sa water treatment?

INTERVIEWEE: We have campaigns, per barangay levels. We conduct public consultations so

they know how to save water. Mga ganung campaigns lang.

INTERVIEWER: Bali meron din kayong mga outreach programs?

INTERVIEWEE: So di na samin yun, kay Manila Water Foundation na yung mga ganung
programs.

INTERVIEWER: Nagccoordinate po ba kayo sa DOST?

INTERVIEWEE: Yes, for example, yun DENR meron silang bagong mandate to treat nutrients
in the future. We coordinate with DOST regarding the new technologies that we implement.

INTERVIEWER: Pero meron po ba kayong research at hand about dun sa benefits/achievements

sa new technologies so far?

INTERVIEWEE: Wala namang established.

INTERVIEWER: Yung technology niyo po ba inaadapt po ng LUWA, kasi po diba may

salintubig?
INTERVIEWEE: Di ako aware na merong salintubig. And actually, kasi separate entity kasi sila
eh. So, we don’t know if they adapt or they have their own. Pwede rin kasing iba yung ginagamit
nila kasi iba rin yung quality ng tubig nila don.

INTERVIEWER: Anong tawag po dun sa treatment?

INTERVIEWEE: Conventional water treatment siya, ibigsabihin yung mga inenumerate ko,
yung mga filtration ganyan, pero pag mga ground water kasi sa mga deep wells, yun yung
pumapasok kung magRO sila (reverse osmosis), yung mga ultra-filtration, Nano filtration, so for
manila water yun, conventional. Even yung water treatment, conventional yung ginagamit. Pero
nagaadapt naman sa new technology. Depende talaga sa quality ng source ng water mo.

INTERVIEWER: So technically po, lahat po ng kinukuha po nating water, nirerecycle?

INTERVIEWEE: For deep well kasi, halimbawa sa reverse osmosis, may tinatawag kasi na
blending, yun yung pwede mo ibalik mo siya pero hinaluan mo siya ng ibang quality. Ganun talaga
siya. Nagiincorporate ka ng new technology, pero yes, narerecycle siya. Yung recycling is
minamaximize po yung mga pwede mo pa makuha sa waste, para maincrease yung production
efficiency mo. Imbis na sa 10L of tubig, makakagawa ka lang ng 8, pwede mo pa makuha yung
buong 10L kung magrerecycle. So yun talaga yung kinukuha production efficiency.

Maynilad includes Makati, QC, Cubao, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Taguig, yan west yan, kay
maynilad yan.

INTERVIEWER: Ano po yung na-experience niyong difficulties kapag summer?

INTERVIEWEE: Kasi hatian kami sa La Mesa ni Maynilad and Manila Water, 60-40 kami dun.
Pag summer, di mataas yung level ng water sa dam natin kaya di masyado madami yung nassupply
natin na tubig, unlike kapag umuulan, umaapaw ang tubig.

INTERVIEWER: Anong effects po nun Ma’am?

INTERVIEWEE: Demands ng customers, mga water complaints, lower water pressure na

mabibigay mo, water ability, but we make sure na nabibigyan lahat ng customers at all times.
24hours naman meron pero at the very least low-pressure lang at high areas like Antipolo. Pero
yung no water, impossible very minimal lang ang chances. Kaya may Contingency Planning, to
arrest those problems.