The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) signed a 25-year Joint Venture Agreement with a private consortium to rehabilitate, operate, maintain and expand the water supply and sewerage system within the freeport.

The agreement was signed at the AFAB administration building in Mariveles by AFAB administrator and CEO Hussein P. Pangandaman, Tubig Pilipinas Group Inc. president Ryan Wesley T. Yapkianwee, and FB Infrastructure Corporation president Francesca Kasandra T. de Jesus.

Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines deputy executive director Eleazar Ricote also attended the ceremony on behalf of executive director Riza Blanco-Latorre.

Backed by an estimated investment of approximately P1.358 billion, the project will rehabilitate and expand the freeport’s water distribution network and upgrade wastewater and sanitation facilities to keep pace with industrial and commercial growth.

Implemented under the PPP Code, the initiative incorporates measures to mitigate pollution, preserve local natural resources, and deliver reliable, safe water services to businesses and residents.

Water service for the Freeport Area of Bataan currently relies primarily on the 50-year-old FAB Dam, which features a 2.4-billion-gallon capacity reservoir and a dedicated water treatment plant managed under AFAB.