Flowing with Purpose: One’s Man Mission for Clean Water

As the population continues to grow and the wheels of industry continue to turn, the demand for dependable water supply also increases.

In the capital, Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad), a major water service provider, is actively addressing the growing needs of Filipinos at a time when climate change, long-term sustainability, and reliable customer service are at the forefront of the public utilities industry. And the man behind the company, Maynilad Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramoncito “Mon” S. Fernandez, is prepared to navigate the challenges of providing clean water to his countrymen.

LIFE AND BUSINESS THROUGH DISCIPLINE AND LOGICAL THINKING

One might picture Fernandez in important meetings or long office hours. While this is a common view of CEOs, he balances work and life with a simple, established routine. “I am a morning person. I wake up very early,” Fernandez says. “By five o’clock I am out of bed. [Then] I go for a brisk walk from 5:30 to 6. Then I take my bath and proceed to hear the 6:30 a.m. mass. And then from there I go back, I take my breakfast. By 8, I’m already here in the office. And, I’m back home by 6 p.m. and have dinner with my family. Sometimes I have dinner meetings outside. But beyond that, I’m already asleep by 10.” Fernandez’s established routine also allows him to prioritize family time with his wife and children, enjoy weekend trips, and play golf. Fernandez attributes his systematic approach to life to his training in Industry Management Engineering at De La Salle University and in Management at the Asian Institute of Management. “Engineering gave me discipline and logical thinking, as well a systematic approach to things. Management on the other hand made my perspective wider, looking at the other aspects of business and making sure that they are also being addressed,” he explains. This philosophy of rational thinking, analysis, and strategic planning extends to Fernandez’s leadership at Maynilad, ensuring effective water management for residents of the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area.

EXPANDING LONG-TERM WATER COVERAGE

Maynilad currently services the western part of Metro Manila, including Caloocan, Las Piñas, Malabon, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Parañaque, Valenzuela, parts of Manila, Quezon City, and Makati; as well as parts of Cavite province, particularly the City of Bacoor, City of Imus, Cavite City, Rosario, Noveleta, and Kawit.

The company is aiming to increase its service coverage to 95.5% of the metro by 2027 and up to 98.6% by 2047—an ambitious goal the achievement of which the company is already making headway in. “I think the basic answer to the service coverage improvement is water security. And the biggest remaining part for me, of our water security, is the completion of the Kaliwa Dam,” explains Fernandez. “The Kaliwa Dam is a project of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and the two concessionaires to ensure an additional supply of 600 million liters per day (MLD) for Metro Manila. The good thing about Kaliwa Dam is it has a different rain pattern than Angat Dam. So it is a climate change resiliency solution also, aside from increasing the capacity.” “And for Maynilad, we’re building a 300 MLD treatment plant in Teresa, Rizal to get the water from Kaliwa Dam. And also, we’re building a 72-kilometer conveyance system that will connect that treatment plant to our customers. Aside from that, we have completed our Poblacion Water Treatment Plant as of March this year, with a 150 MLD capacity,” he further elaborates.

PROVIDING WATER TO REMOTE AREAS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Apart from new business plans, Fernandez and his team are also occupied with their pro-poor corporate social responsibility (CSR) project, Samahang Tubig Maynilad (Water Association of Maynilad).

Water inaccessibility remains an issue in some parts of the West Zone. Faced with this reality, the company strives to provide water service to underserved residents in its service area. Its community development program provides poor communities access to clean water by adressing issues that hinder urban poor communities from being connected to Maynilad water lines, such as right-of-way conflicts, land disputes, and residents' limited finances.

Fernandez hopes to work with local government units in providing clean water for drinking and sanitation needs to poor communities. Samahang Tubig Maynilad is the original charity venture for the company, followed by their Pag-asa sa Patubig Partnership (Water For All Partnership) with Filipino social business group Tubig Pag-asa (Better with Water).

Through these CSR programs, underprivileged communities within Maynilad’s coverage area gain access to the company’s distribution system through public faucets and submeters, eliminating the need to purchase overpriced water from refilling stations or resellers.

“Through this initiative, we were able to give water to those communities that have concerns regarding land titles, right of way, and bringing water to areas outside the distribution system,” says Fernandez. “What we have been doing outside our concession area are basically CSR projects, specifically helping supply the hydration requirements of the communities that were affected by calamities.”

INVESTING IN SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN WATER SERVICES

Apart from social causes, Maynilad is dedicating its resources to the research and development of sustainable water sanitation processes and infrastructure. A major bulk of their investment is directed toward minimizing non-revenue water (NRW) or water loss, thereby enhancing the efficiency of their water supply distribution system.

The biggest contributor to NRW is physical loss or leaks from the old pipelines, which Maynilad inherited from the government upon reprivatization. “Actually, we still have a few pipes that were laid by the Spaniards and Americans that have long been there,” the CEO jokes.

"We have actually budgeted close to Php20 billion in our current business plan for NRW management alone. We have accelerated some of our projects. We have a budget of Php 4 billion for this year alone," declares Fernandez. “This money or capex (capital expenditure) budget will be spent in our leak detection programs, establishment of district metered areas, replacement of meters, and also pipe replacement.”

Maynilad’s green efforts have not gone unnoticed as the water services behemoth earned a nomination for its green energy measures in the 2023 Europa Awards, the prestigious awarding body that celebrates companies adhering to global sustainability standards in energy, water management, and circular economy advocacies. Maynilad has also installed photovoltaic solar panels at their La Mesa compound to reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, they aim to transition 50% of the company's fleet to electric vehicles by 2037. Furthermore, Maynilad’s sewage treatment plants are being upgraded per the new regulations from DENR to follow new and more stringent effluent quality standards.

A NEW TREATMENT PLANT AND WATER ACADEMY

As part of their long-term water security and 100% coverage plan, Maynilad has recently inaugurated their new Poblacion Water Treatment Plant in Muntinlupa. This 150 MLD plant will be serving the southern part of Metro Manila and expand into surrounding areas.

Currently, Maynilad operates two treatment plants in Putatan, Muntinlupa. These facilities face challenges in the varying raw water quality of Laguna Lake that have begun exceeding historical quality parameters due to the effects of climate change, urbanization and pollution. These raw water quality shifts often necessitate halting water distribution to resolve quality concerns. The new treatment plant in Poblacion was built to increase Maynilad's water production in the south, ensuring more reliable water service despite the deteriorating raw water quality in the lake.

“Because before the Poblacion Water Treatment Plant was constructed, a single malfunction in Putatan would cause us to interrupt water distribution to our customers. But because of the construction of the Poblacion plant, we have enough capacity now to absorb the demand of our customers in the south,” Fernandez explains.

The new plant will also have a stringent water treatment process, starting with dissolved air flotation, followed by cloth filtration, biological aerated filtration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis. Aside from the improved treatment procedure, significant infrastructure upgrades have been made for the existing treatment plants in Putatan.

 "We dredged the Laguna Lake portion within a 200-meter radius of our treatment plants' intake structure and installed a silt curtain around it. We've also deployed several units of ultrasonic algae control equipment to address the growth of algae in the lake," he clarifies further. An additional Php 240 billion investment has been made by Maynilad for infrastructure and distribution enhancements in the coming years. “The years 2023 to 2027 are hinged on three pillars. Number one is water security and climate change adaptability. Number two is environmental sustainability. And number three is service accessibility expansion,” Fernandez shares.

Meanwhile, Maynilad also strives to establish itself as a thought leader in the industry through its Maynilad Water Academy, which is the first learning institution in the Philippines dedicated to the advancement of the water and wastewater industry. Since its establishment in 2011, the Maynilad Water Academy has created an environment for learning and benchmarking of best practices in water, sanitation, and hygiene in the Philippines and across Asia. “Its objective is to disseminate information and make both our customers and even our non-customers and the regulators, both here and abroad, share industry best practices, basic information and advanced information on water and wastewater” Fernandez says. “At Water Academy, we have partnered with different institutions such as Asian Development Bank and United States Agency for International Development. And as I mentioned, we have gone out of the Philippines. We have had projects in Pakistan and even in Africa and also in Bangladesh.”

IT'S ALL ABOUT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. MAKING SURE YOU'RE ALWAYS AHEAD IN TERMS OF ANTICIPATING WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS NEED... THAT HAS TO BE AT THE CENTER OF ANY COMPANY'S PRIORITY.

CREATING A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC BUSINESS AND PUTTING GOD FIRST

With so many ongoing and future projects, Fernandez and the entire Maynilad team have their hands full. Given his many achievements, it’s clear why Fernandez is consistently recognized as one of the country’s most skilled CEOs. His vision for water services isn’t based on some grand scheme to be at the top of the industry or to hit a certain level of revenue—it is to provide the best service to his customers. "It's all about customer experience. Making sure you're always ahead in terms of anticipating what your customers need... that has to be at the center of any company's priority," Fernandez says. Continuous innovation is also a huge factor in the future of Maynilad. “In any public utility, you need to continuously innovate. Your customers are always changing. Your customers need better service every time, even if your service has already improved. You still need to continuously improve,” he boldly declares. Asked what his advice for aspiring leaders in this sector is, Fernandez offers five pointers, drawing from his experience overcoming numerous challenges and emerging triumphant. “First, humility. Even if you are a leader, even if you are the president or the highest ranking leader in any organization, you should continue to be humble. Number two is patience. You will continue to face a lot of problems, a lot of concerns here and there, from different stakeholders, but you just need to be patient,” he stresses. “Third is choosing your battles. Just choose. Don’t entertain unnecessary distractions because you’ll lose focus then. The fourth is decisiveness. When you need to decide as a leader, whether it is an unpopular decision or not, you just have to decide and face the consequences. And last but not the least, God first,” he ends.