Ten firms are still interested in bidding for the P1.2 billion bulk water supply project of the Negros Occidental provincial government, Acting Provincial Administrator Alberto Nellas Jr. said on Friday, June 28.
The bidding scheduled for Thursday, July 27, has been reset to October 28, Nellas said earlier.
The interested firms asked that the bidding be moved to October so they can come up with better bid proposals for the project, Nellas said.
The bulk water project aims to meet the increasing water demand in the province by utilizing surface water sources to reduce reliance on groundwater and deep wells.
Nellas said other firms wishing to join the bidding will be subjected to deliberation by the Provincial Bids and Awards Committee.
The Silay City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) still has not approved a Resolution of No Objection (RONO) to the bulk water project, Nellas said.
The Silay SP has resolved to hold another committee hearing to discuss the project, he said.
The Silay RONO is needed for an environment compliance certificate to tap water from the Imbang River, he said.
The proposed bulk water project has two offtake points at the Ibang River in Silay and the Malogo River in EB Magalona, Nellas said.
Malogo is actually their main offtake point, they just included Imbang because of its proximity to the cities of Silay, Talisay and Bacolod, Nellas said.*