Aboitiz InfraCapital Water is looking to play a role in securing Cebu’s water future through sustainable medium-and long-term projects, including desalination and surface water solutions.
According to the company, Metro Cebu faces an estimated 350 million-liter daily water supply deficit as of 2025 in Metro Cebu.
In an interview with the media yesterday following the Cebu Water Summit 2025, Aboitiz InfraCapital vice president and head of Water Business, Eduardo Aboitiz, emphasized the company’s strong commitment to Cebu.
‘Cebu is my home and it holds a very special place in my heart, and in the hearts of the Aboitiz family as well. We are deeply invested here and we want to continue investing in Cebu’s future,’ Aboitiz said.
He explained that part of his speech during the Summit was to introduce Aboitiz InfraCapital Water and share its success in Davao, where its bulk water supply project has positively impacted the community.
‘It was really about sharing our story and also a call to action for all relevant stakeholders to work together and approach this collectively,’ he added.
Aboitiz said the company is currently conducting market studies and is eyeing two major solutions: a desalination plant as a medium-term option and a large-scale surface water project as a long-term solution.
‘These things don’t happen overnight. It takes time and careful planning,’ he noted, adding that the company already has a presence in the province, with three existing water operations.
These are the industrial water distribution in Balamban, the West Cebu Industrial Park in Toledo, and the 5-million liters-per-day (MLD) bulk water supply mini-desalination project at the Mactan Economic Zone 2 in Lapu-Lapu City, which began operations two months ago.
‘This facility currently supplies all the water requirements of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport,’ Aboitiz said.
Looking ahead, Aboitiz InfraCapital Water aims to scale up through partnerships.
‘Over the next two years, we’d like to explore public-private partnerships. As I mentioned earlier, we’re looking at both medium-term and long-term proposals that we want to push forward in partnership with government and other stakeholders,’ Aboitiz shared.
The company’s move comes amid Cebu’s continuing water supply challenges, with increasing demand driven by rapid urban development and population growth.
In the same interview, Engr. Maria Nenita Jumao-as, executive director of the University of San Carlos Water Resources Center Foundation, Inc. (USCWRCFI), said: ‘Water is a very big issue. There are different phases, water supply, usage, and disposal. And wastewater treatment is one of the biggest concerns in Cebu today.’
According to Engr. Jon Paulo Siglos, president of the Federation of Accredited Professional Organizations of Region VII, said the lack of a centralized sewage system in Cebu remains a critical gap in the region’s water management framework.
‘We do have septage treatment, but it’s not enough. What’s the point of producing so much clean water if, in the end, it ends up polluting our rivers and seas? That’s why this is one of the priority for the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE),’ Siglos said.
Jumao-as said that if at least three large dams are being built, then that gap (water supply deficit) can be significantly reduced, and although it’s a big challenge, it’s not impossible.
However, Siglos added that the problem is not that there is no water at all, but rather insufficient infrastructure to treat, store, and distribute water efficiently including proper wastewater treatment.
The Cebu Water Summit 2025, themed ‘Taking the Challenge, Firming Up Actions NOW!’, brought together government, industry, academe, and civil society leaders to consolidate actions for Cebu’s water security through the IWRM-DEAP framework – Integrated Water Resources Management through Data Sharing, Education and Awareness, and Policy Advocacy.
IWRM-DEAP outlines the following key actions:
I – Institutionalize IWRM: Promote inter-LGU coordination and collaboration, create an IWRM Council, and identify water champions to drive local action;
D – Data Sharing: Establish an IWRM Knowledge Center and online portal for evidence-based decisions, integrating climate change data and research outputs;
E – Education and Awareness: Strengthen knowledge sharing, conduct trainings, workshops, and campaigns to build capacity and public understanding of water issues;
A – Advocacy: Pursue policies supporting unified water governance, including the proposed Department of Water to address fragmented mandates;
P – Partnership: Deepen collaboration among LGUs, NGAs, academe, private sector, and CSOs to ensure shared responsibility and long-term sustainability.
Supported by the Department of Science and Technology-7 (DOST-7) and partner institutions, the Summit reaffirmed Cebu’s collective commitment to ‘secure every drop’ through science-based and inclusive solutions.