| (The Philippine Star) Updated February 07, 2011 12:00 AM |
MANILA, Philippines - An enterprising environmentalist firm specializing in infrastructure development is applying for the water rights to rehabilitate nine rivers that feed a key Southern Luzon watershed to reverse its rapid deterioration due to uncontrolled deforestation and neglect so it could be tapped as a source of water supply for potable use, irrigation and even power generation.
In a letter to general manager Rodrigo E. Cabrera of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), Ricardo L. Penson, chairman and chief executive officer of Penson and Co. Inc., is applying for the water rights for the Pangil River, Upper Tibag River, Lower Tibag River, Dakil River, Nalba River, Ginabihan River and Daleil River, all in Laguna, as well as the Lower Salasaban River and Lalavinan River in Real, Quezon.
Penson said his company conducted aerial, physical and visual surveys of the nine rivers over the last six months and was saddened by the deterioration of the watershed, which was supposed to hold the water from these sources, due to “sheer neglect, deforestation and natural causes.”
In a bid to reverse the degradation and save the watershed, Penson and Co. is offering a P2.25-million private grant for the upland communities around the watershed to kick off the reforestation of the area and the construction of mini-dams to stop the current spillage of substantial volumes of water.
The grant will fund the livelihood component of the project that will benefit the upland communities in the municipalities of Paete, Pangil and Pakil in Laguna, and Real in Quezon. These communities, as Penson pointed out, are among the “poorest of the poor.”
With these initial initiatives, Penson and Co. will then conduct a digital profiling of the watershed to determine a design concept based on the accurate holding capacity of the watershed and its full potential while assuring environmental integrity. This has to be done, Penson told LLDA, because the previous water rights grantees “never controlled, measured nor recorded water levels of the various sources.”
Penson and Co. believes the watershed, when fully rehabilitated, can be an important source of water for potable use, irrigation and potential energy generation. The watershed can also be used to hold a bulk water supply, not only for Southern Luzon but for Metro Manila as well.
The company was founded by the late Cecilio H. Penson, the first and, so far, only Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Likas Yaman Awardee who was given the award for “his tireless effort in environmental protection and human welfare.”
His son, who now sits as chairman and CEO of the company, said they will use the “ecosystem modules” developed by his father to immediately reverse the damage done to the watershed.
A specialist in building multi-million peso infrastructure projects, Penson and Co. is currently undertaking the feasibility study for the Queensland Recycled Water Industry Project in Australia. It is also the principal proponent of the P13.6-billion North Luzon East Expressway (NLEE) Project, a 456-kilometer tollway that will connect Metro Manila to Tuguegarao City in Cagayan. A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) venture, the NLEE project was cited by President Benigno S. Aquino III in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) and, although still under construction, was already given an award for being the first “Green Corridor in Asia.”
When completed, the NLEE will not only become the longest tollway in the Philippines, it will be the first one to use a new technology called the “Water Sensitive Urban Tollway.” This technology calls for the construction of a roadway system and wetlands that will integrate the drainage of rainwater from the tollway to a water collection and filtration system. Already extensively used in the United States and Australia, this technology will allow the NLEE to have a positive impact on the environment, while the initial 20kms of stage 1 will produce 15.2 million cubic meters of water that will be collected in the La Mesa Reservoir.
Penson and Co. is likewise involved in the P7.5-billion Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC-T2) Terminal 2 project and the proposed Metro Manila flood mitigation project.
In a letter to general manager Rodrigo E. Cabrera of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), Ricardo L. Penson, chairman and chief executive officer of Penson and Co. Inc., is applying for the water rights for the Pangil River, Upper Tibag River, Lower Tibag River, Dakil River, Nalba River, Ginabihan River and Daleil River, all in Laguna, as well as the Lower Salasaban River and Lalavinan River in Real, Quezon.
Penson said his company conducted aerial, physical and visual surveys of the nine rivers over the last six months and was saddened by the deterioration of the watershed, which was supposed to hold the water from these sources, due to “sheer neglect, deforestation and natural causes.”
In a bid to reverse the degradation and save the watershed, Penson and Co. is offering a P2.25-million private grant for the upland communities around the watershed to kick off the reforestation of the area and the construction of mini-dams to stop the current spillage of substantial volumes of water.
The grant will fund the livelihood component of the project that will benefit the upland communities in the municipalities of Paete, Pangil and Pakil in Laguna, and Real in Quezon. These communities, as Penson pointed out, are among the “poorest of the poor.”
With these initial initiatives, Penson and Co. will then conduct a digital profiling of the watershed to determine a design concept based on the accurate holding capacity of the watershed and its full potential while assuring environmental integrity. This has to be done, Penson told LLDA, because the previous water rights grantees “never controlled, measured nor recorded water levels of the various sources.”
Penson and Co. believes the watershed, when fully rehabilitated, can be an important source of water for potable use, irrigation and potential energy generation. The watershed can also be used to hold a bulk water supply, not only for Southern Luzon but for Metro Manila as well.
The company was founded by the late Cecilio H. Penson, the first and, so far, only Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Likas Yaman Awardee who was given the award for “his tireless effort in environmental protection and human welfare.”
His son, who now sits as chairman and CEO of the company, said they will use the “ecosystem modules” developed by his father to immediately reverse the damage done to the watershed.
A specialist in building multi-million peso infrastructure projects, Penson and Co. is currently undertaking the feasibility study for the Queensland Recycled Water Industry Project in Australia. It is also the principal proponent of the P13.6-billion North Luzon East Expressway (NLEE) Project, a 456-kilometer tollway that will connect Metro Manila to Tuguegarao City in Cagayan. A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) venture, the NLEE project was cited by President Benigno S. Aquino III in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) and, although still under construction, was already given an award for being the first “Green Corridor in Asia.”
When completed, the NLEE will not only become the longest tollway in the Philippines, it will be the first one to use a new technology called the “Water Sensitive Urban Tollway.” This technology calls for the construction of a roadway system and wetlands that will integrate the drainage of rainwater from the tollway to a water collection and filtration system. Already extensively used in the United States and Australia, this technology will allow the NLEE to have a positive impact on the environment, while the initial 20kms of stage 1 will produce 15.2 million cubic meters of water that will be collected in the La Mesa Reservoir.
Penson and Co. is likewise involved in the P7.5-billion Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC-T2) Terminal 2 project and the proposed Metro Manila flood mitigation project.
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