• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday announced that another P100 million has been earmarked for the rehabilitation of Kabankalan City Water District (KCWD) in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
Zubiri, accompanied by Luis Azcona, KCWD chairman of the board, led the groundbreaking rites of the second-phase water system project in Kabankalan City, witnessed by Sugar Regulatory Administration head Pablo Luis Azcona and Negros Occidental 5th district Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo, among other local officials.
Identifying the high cost of water as among the factors that hinder the development of Kabankalan City, Zubiri said it prompted him to push for the water district rehabilitation and improvement of its water pipes, which have not been replaced since it was established in the 1940s.
Last year, Zubiri also allocated P50 million for the first phase of the project.
Kabankalan City is the birthplace of Joe Zubiri, whose wife and children, including Juan Miguel, migrated to Bukidnon, to seek greener pastures.
In a press briefing, Senator Zubiri also announced his intention to allocate an amount of P100 million to P150 million, for the completion of the project in 2026.
He also recognized Kabankalan as one of the largest beneficiaries of his programs in Negros Occidental, aside from his two major infrastructure projects in Bacolod City, which are also eyed for completion this year.*
