The Cebu City Council has revived a long-delayed plan to drill production wells within public schools as the city continues to grapple with a worsening water shortage.
In an approved resolution authored by Councilor David Tumulak, the Department of Education (DepEd)-Cebu City Division was directed to coordinate with the Cebu City Government and the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) for the development of groundwater sources in eight identified schools.
The schools identified for the proposed wells are Barrio Luz Elementary School, Labangon Elementary School, Don Vicente Rama High School, Bulacao Community High School, Pardo Elementary School, Quiot Elementary School, Punta Princesa Elementary School, and Talamban Elementary School.
The resolution recalled that the project was first proposed in 2019 but was shelved after the late Mayor Edgardo Labella was unable to sign a tripartite agreement among the city government, DepEd and MCWD.
In a letter dated April 24, 2026, MCWD General Manager Atty. John DX Lapid urged Mayor Nestor Archival to revive the project.
Lapid explained that the initiative had been discontinued because of the unresolved agreement but stressed that the urgency of Cebu’s water shortage now calls for a more streamlined approach.
To avoid the lengthy national-level approvals required by DepEd, MCWD recommended that the agreement be executed directly between MCWD and the Cebu City Government, noting that the city owns the land where the schools are located.
Lapid also asked the mayor’s office and the Local School Board to facilitate joint site inspections of the identified schools to determine their feasibility.
He said a direct partnership would expedite the development ‘for the benefit of the schools, the surrounding communities, and the people of Cebu City.’
The revival of the project comes as Cebu City continues to face a daily water supply deficit.
Declining yields from Buhisan Dam and the Jaclupan water facility in recent months have compounded the shortage, while the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has forecast that El Niño conditions will intensify through early 2027, potentially prolonging dry conditions and putting further pressure on the city’s water systems.
Farmers in upland barangays have already reported crop losses even before the onset of the rainy season, while MCWD has resorted to water rationing, water trucking and the rehabilitation of old artesian wells to augment supply.
Several groundwater projects have already been completed, while exploration drilling has begun in Kalunasan at the Girl Scout Camp.
The Kalunasan project is intended to provide water to upland communities and the Cebu City Jail, which has long been without a direct water connection