Manila Water recently commemorated the strengthening of its partnership with the Local Government of Antipolo City, along with the Department of Natural Resources (DENR), in a simple ceremony held at the Hinulugang Taktak Nature & Adventure Park.

On 14 September 2024, Manila Water President and Chief Executive Officer Jocot de Dios, Manila Water Chief Regulatory Officer Donato C. Almeda, Manila Water Project Management Group Adviser Angel Gonzalez, Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System (MWSS) Chairman Elpidio Vega, MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas, Antipolo City Mayor Casimiro Ynares III, and Rizal Governor Nina Ricci Ynares and Vice Governor Reynaldo San Juan, Jr. spearheaded the activities to highlight the ongoing construction of the Hinulugang Taktak Sewage Treatment Plant (HT STP). Also joining them were Antipolo City Councilor Antonio Leyva, Rizal Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) Technical Division Chief Ernesto Diso Jr., Rizal PENRO Management Services Division Chief John Reburiano, and Protected Area Management Board for Hinulugang Taktak Protected Landscape Assistant Superintendent Mary Jane Obieta.

In photo from left: Manila Water Project Management Group Adviser Angel Santiago Gonzalez, MWSS Board Trustee Merly Cruz, MWSS Board Chair Elpidio Vega, MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas, Antipolo City Mayor Casimiro Ynares III, Manila Water Chief Regulatory Officer Donato Almeda, Rizal Province Governor Nina Ricci Ynares, Manila Water President and CEO J.V. Emmanuel de Dios, Rizal Province Vice Governor Reynaldo San Juan, Manila Water Chief Regulator Patrick Lester Ty, and Antipolo City Councilor Michael Leyva 

The provincial government of Rizal initiated talks with MWSS and Manila Water for a proposed sewerage treatment plant that would restore the quality of water at Hinulugang Taktak and maintain the ecological balance of the province. This event aimed to underscore the extent of achievements that collaborations between public and private agencies can achieve, especially in terms of environmental sustainability goals.

Antipolo City Mayor Ynares emphasized how effective their partnership with Manila Water is in mitigating environmental challenges, saying, "Imposible na raw maibalik ang linis, ang ganda, ang katanyagan ng batis ng Hinulugang Taktak. There is an antidote to the impossible. Una, ang tibay ng isang pangarap. Pangalawa, ang kapangyarihan ng paanyayang ‘Tayo na’. Salamat po sa Manila Water sa pagtugon sa paalalang ‘Tayo na’."

Manila Water President and CEO De Dios took the event as an opportunity to renew the company’s vow to enrich its relationship in future projects to benefit Antipoleños.

"This is a message that signals that the doors of partnership remain very, very wide open to our gracious hosts (Antipolo City). We thank our gracious hosts for allowing us to showcase what we do best," De Dios said in his closing message during the event.

The P2.5-billion Hinulugang Taktak Sewage Treatment Plant aims to provide sewerage service to more than 148,000 residents of Antipolo, specifically from Barangay dela Paz, San Isidro, San Roque, and San Jose. It is designed to have a capacity to treat 16 million liters of wastewater per day. The sewage treatment plant will help rehabilitate and sustain the historic falls by treating the wastewater generated within the catchment area before discharging it to the falls.

The Manila Water Project Management Team, led by Headline Project Manager Jocelyn General and Senior Project Manager Francis Erwin Cruz, said that the HT STP will be completed and operational by the end of 2024.