West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad)—through its education arm Maynilad Water Academy—and Metro Pacific Water (MPW) recently sealed a partnership with the University of the Philippines Diliman to launch the Daloy Research Program, an academe-industry collaboration for the advancement of water research.
Under the Daloy Research Program, scholarships will be granted to full-time graduate engineering students who wish to pursue research on topics that cover water source development, water treatment, wastewater management, non-revenue water, smart water technologies, and resource recovery from wastewater.
“New challenges in the water sector call for innovative solutions. The Daloy Research Program seeks to spur innovation in the water industry by investing in the development of young water professionals. This tripartite partnership is a valuable opportunity to expand the knowledge base needed to ensure water sustainability,†said Maynilad Senior Vice President for Commercial and Marketing Patrick C. Gregorio.
As industry partners for Daloy, Maynilad and MPW will provide exclusive access to treatment facilities and technical experts for the scholars. The grant includes tuition fees, research funding, and book and transportation allowances.
“We are excited to launch the Daloy Research Program with the University. Daloy, named after our value of Flow, hopes to create solutions that will solve our challenges in water and wastewater not just here in the Philippines but across Asia. This is our chance to contribute towards a more innovative Philippine water sector through our industry-academe partnership,†said MPW President Laurence Rogero.
Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base. It is the agent and contractor of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which is composed of the cities of Manila (certain portions), Quezon City (certain portions), Makati (west of South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.
PHOTO CAPTION:
MOU for water research program. Maynilad, Metro Pacific Water, and the University of the Philippines-Diliman seal a partnership to launch Daloy Research Program, an academe-industry collaboration for the advancement of water research. Signing the Memorandum of Understanding are (from left) UP Diliman Associate Dean for Institutional Linkages Dr. Eric Augustus Tingatinga, Program Coordinator for Environmental Engineering Dr. Leslie Joy Diaz, Maynilad Water Academy executive director Rodora Gamboa, Maynilad SVP for Commercial and Marketing Patrick Gregorio, Metro Pacific Water President Atty. Laurence Rogero, UP Diliman Chancellor Dr. Michael Tan, Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Dr. Fidel Nemenzo, Dean of UP Diliman College of Engineering Dr. Rizalinda De Leon, and Head of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Unit Prof. Adeline Pacia.