BRIEF HISTORY
The
municipality of Guinayangan has a level III water supply
system being managed by the Guinayangan Water District. The
water system was originally constructed by the United States
Public Health Services (USPHS) and the government in 1930.
The water system utilized Maulawin Ibaba Spring, a water
source serving Poblacion and Brgy. Calimpac. No improvement
was done until 1975 when local authorities constructed
additional intake boxes, and in 1979 a 300 cubic meter
ground reservoir.
The
Guinayangan Water District was created through the
Sangguniang Bayan Resolution No. 87 – 59 passed on July 22,
1987. The same resolution effected the transfer of all
existing water supply facilities to the jurisdiction of GWD.
The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) issued a
Conditional Certificate of Conformance (CCC) #303 to the GWD paving the
formal creation of the water district on August 18, 1987.
The first Board of Directors appointed by then municipal
mayor Nestor M. Salumbides are as follows: Ruben R.
Valencia, Prospero R. Molines, Antonio G. Moreno, Redempta
M. Mercado and Efren C. Cortez. Engr. Manuel M. Butardo was
appointed as the first General Manager of the district who
was later elected as Municipal Mayor and Provincial Board
Member of Quezon Province after his stint in the water
district.
In 1993,
LWUA granted GWD a loan amounting to P4M to rehabilitate the
existing water system facilities. The project was completed
in 1994. Another project was funded thru the Senatorial
Initiative Fund of then senator, Hon. Wigberto E. Tanada
amounting to P15 M for the construction of Bahochoc Water
System, tapping Bahochoc Spring to the existing water system
thru a 13 kilometer transmission line. The project was
completed in 1996 that increased the number of served
barangays from 4 to 15. Thru the internally generated funds
and savings from various projects of the water district, the
water service has further expanded to Brgy. Aloneros by
constructing a separate system in this barangay. In 2005,
the GWD was granted an P11 M loan by the Kreditanstalt fur
Wiederaufbau (KfW) for the construction of two (2) deep
wells, two (2) pump stations and two (2) sets of brand new
50 KVA generator sets including transmission lines
connecting the wells to the existing systems. It finally
solved the insufficiency of water supplies during the dry
months. Savings from these projects were use to further
expand its service area to Brgy. Sisi, Salacan (Sitio
Gaboc), and Capuluan Central. The water system was further
expanded to Brgy. Cabong Norte in 2008 bringing the number
of served barangays to twenty five (25) as of September
2009.
In 1991,
Guinayangan Water District was awarded by the Philippine
Association of Water Districts as The Most Outstanding Water
District in Southern Tagalog Region. In 2005, the Local
Water Utilities Administration awarded GWD as the Most
Outstanding Water District in Luzon. And again, in 2007 the
Philippine Association of Water Districts awarded GWD as one
of the Top Performer Water Districts in the country.
The GWD was categorized as Category D Water District by the
LWUA in year 2014 in accordance with Department of Budget
and Management (DBM) guidelines on categorization and
re-categorization of local water districts. Sound
financial management as well as appropriate project
development and facilities improvement were successfully
accomplished, hence these awards, during the administration
of the second General Manager, Engr. Antonieto C. Pujalte,
who served the GWD from 1996 to October 2015.
In 2017,
through the initiative of Hon. Congresswoman Angelina
"Helen" Tan, construction, repair, rehabilitation and
improvement of various infrastructure projects implemented
by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under
the Tourism Water Supply and Sanitation Infrastructure (TouWa)
Program were granted to the Guinayangan Water District with
total project cost amounting to Php 43.2 M. Among the
facilities that were constructed includes two (2)
development of spring sources in Barangay Sta. Cruz;
construction of one (1) deep well in Barangay Himbubulo
Weste with 4m x 5m pump house housing the 60KVA standby
generator set; construction of four (4) concrete ground water
reservoirs with capacity of 150 cubic meters each located in Barangays Himbubulo Weste, Balinarin, Sintones and Sta.
Cruz; and the installation of three (3) compact water
filtration systems located in San Antonio Pump Station, Brgy.
Balinarin and one near the Maulawin Spring Protected
Landscape (MSPL). The whole project was completed and
turned-over to Guinayangan Water District on June 2019.
At present,
the GWD service area covers 25 barangays in Guinayangan,
Quezon. As of
December 2021, there are 3,132 active connections spread
over the 18 zones of the District. GWD is looking
forward in the coming years with accomplishing its target of
at least 3,300 total concessionaires and extending its
service area to adjacent barangays thru infrastructure
development, improvement of existing facilities and
developing additional water sources to supply the demand of
the growing population of the community. The third
appointed General Manager, EnP Carmelo Alejandro C. Pujalte,
(August 2016 to present), aims to achieve the
re-categorization of the District to Category C Water
District by Year
2023.
