The concept of the Presidential Decree 198 or the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973 works best for cities and not privatization, Julie Ann Carbon, manager of the Bacolod City Water District, said yesterday.

Carbon said they join the Philippine Association of Water Districts in opposing the proposed bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives that aim to establish the Water and Sanitarium Regulatory Authority and to privatize water districts in the country.

Senator Edgardo Angara proposed the Senate Bill 2997 or the Water Sector Reform Act of 2011 while Representatives Romeo Federico Quimbo (Marikina City, 2nd District) and Karlo Nograles ( Davao City, 1st District) proposed the House Bill 5497 to make reforms on water resource and industry management.

Farmers assured of
more modernization

Gov. Alfredo Marañon, Jr. assured farmer workers that modernization of agricultural facilities will give them more income with less effort at the demonstration on the use of the P2 million combined rice harvester and thresher machine in Brgy. Tabuanan, Bago City, yesterday.

Marañon said the province will make sure that farmers will still have jobs and income while improving agricultural inputs.

The machine is a pilot harvester that will be used by the province and, upon the arrival of new units from the DA, will be used by farmers who are organized under a cooperative or association, he said.

PH imports Vietnamese rice

HO CHI MINH CITY -  -- The Vietnam Southern Food Corp. (Vinafood 2) has won a contract to export 100,000 tons of rice to the Philippines at the price of US$ 400 per ton.

It is expected this rice bulk will be shipped later this month, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Vinafood 2 is hoping to secure another contract with the Philippines to supply 20,000 tons of rice, as the country plans to import 500,000 tons of rice this year.