Sunday, August 31, 2014

Entrepreneurial Farmer by Ambrosio R. Villorente

The New Effective MKWD 
Management

Atty. Ronquillo C. Tolentino texted me thus: “Before, fairy tales started with ‘Once upon a time…’ now fairy tales start with : Once I get elected…”

However, not in the Metro Kalibo Water District (MKWD) for it has improved much its services to its clients which 10 years ago when MKWD was sudden with graft coupled with sub-standard service to its clients.

Thanks to the mass media in Aklan for its constructive criticism and discussion concerning what were happening in MKWD that time. A poor performing general manager was uprooted from his bench and the chairman of the Board of Directors was dislodged from his chair: A new chairman was elected and a new general manager was appointed. 

Today, MKWD is housed in its new impeccable three levels building constructed at a cost of P41 million located in barangay Andagao, Kalibo.

The former MKWD building in C. Laserna St., Poblacion, Kalibo is available for rent. The new building is equipped with modern facilities being manned by honest, competent and dignified personnel and officers under the leadership of General Manager Edgar Isada, a certified public accountant in active practice.

In his watch, MKWD has now 22,160 active connections distributed among five (5) municipalities of Kalibo which has 14,384, New Washington – 4,055, Banga – 2,172, Balete – 1,090, and Batan – 451. 

MKWD employs 164 employees, 93 of whom are permanent and 71 non permanent.

MKWD management follows the best management practices. Its offices open at 7:00 o’clock in the morning and close only after all the customers are served their needs in the afternoon.

The customers service, MKWD provides a wide area for customers that accommodates eight (8) tellers. It has installed automated Queue Management system for faster servicing to customers like senior citizens, pregnant women and PWD’s. 

The Board of Directors (BOD) is chaired by Atty. Edmund R. Peralta, former mayor of New Washinton, Aklan. He served as mayor for nine (9) years in three consecutive terms. The BOD formulates policies which the management implements.

Last year (2013), the MKWD served effectively its 24,858 households, offices and business firms. It produced 6.62 million cubic meters of water. Of this quantity, 5.63 million cubic meters were accounted and billed, while .07 thousand cubic meters were unaccounted or 1.07 percent. Non revenue water was one (1) million cubic meters or 15 percent. Of this water produced, MKWD attained a 96.74 percent collection efficiency.

This high collection efficiency has enabled MKWD to religiously pay its loan obligation. It paid P19.3 million to its creditors, P8.8 million of which was applied to the principal. Hence, MKWD posted a net income of P38 million in 2013, slightly lower than the P38.4 million net income obtained in 2012. 

This year, MKWD will construct a water tank capable to store 100,000 cubic meters of water. This water tank will be situated at the back of the new MKWD office building in Andagao, Kalibo, Aklan.

MKWD GM Edgar Isada was the guest speaker during the meeting of the Rotary Club of Kalibo held at Clubhouse, Andagao, Kalibo, August 26, 2014. In his discussion, he revealed all the best practices followed by the MKWD. For example, to  best serve its clients, he adjsuted the working hour  by advancing the start from 8:00 o’clock in the morning to 7:00 o’clock and the office will only close after all the customers are served in the afternoon.

According to Isada, this is done to accomodate government and private sectors employees to allow  them to transact business with MKWD before 8:00 o’clock in the morning so that they can report to their respective offices on time.

For one thing, Isada has put up suggestion box where suggestions or any complaint can be written and placed in it. All the contents are taken out from the suggestion box regularly, studied, analyzed, and considered. Any reasonable suggestions and complaints  accepted is recommended to the  BOD for implementation.

Example of suggestions accepted and implemented are the adjustment of office hours at 7:00 o’clock in the morning and the procedure in the method of payment of water bills.  /MP 

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