Cudal Water Project

CUDAL WATER PROJECT

Profile of Beneficiary

Name : Constancio Iyawon

Age : 73 years old

Constancio was born in 1935 and was raised in the nearby community of Cudal. During the 1970’s, he and his family migrated to Cudal and they were among the first settlers of the area. Because there was no water system in the community then, they have to fetch water in nearby creeks.

According to Mr. Iyawon, who had also become a barangay official during his prime, two attempts to establish a water system in the community had failed or were not pursued before the Episcopal Church came in.

1. The Public Works of the government first planned to bring water to the community. Pipelines were already delivered but there was a problem/misunderstanding within the community regarding the location of the water outlet. Because this issue was not resolved after some time, the Public Works decided to divert the project to Bannawag so the pipelines were transferred to this community. Communal deep wells were established by the government instead but these came many years after the supposed water system.

2. The Second attempt was initiated by the Wesleyan Church in the 1980’s. But again, internal misunderstanding inside the community regarding the project made the Wesleyan Church withdraw their proposal.

3. Later, the Episcopal Church through the Diocese of Northern Luzon attempted to establish a water system with the water source coming from Paracelis. However, this neighbouring municipality did not allow Cudal to get water from its territory, stopping the project from pushing through. After a while, the CBDP came in with the water system finally becoming a reality. The project is an Integrated Project with a Level II potable water system component. The source is also a deep well pumped by electric power to the reservoir. Some of the residents initiated to buy their own pipelines that reaches their homes thus, the project has Level III beneficiaries. Up to the present, months after the water project started working, some households are slowly buying needed materials for them to be able to connect to the water stations to their houses. Cudal National High School, where the reservoir is located is also benefitting from the water system.

Mr. Iyawon, one of the beneficiaries with Level III water supply, says that the project is a very big help to him and to his wife especially because they are old now and pumping water then carrying it back to their house is a very hard chore for them now. He continues by sharing his dream when he was still young wherein he dreamt that there is water in their home so he did not have to suffer each day fetching water just to have something to drink. He says that after decades had passed after that dream and no water came, he started losing hope of experiencing life with water in his house. Now, that his hair had turned white and finally the water came, he has proudly announced that his dream had come true. During our little chat with him, he ended the conversation by saying that “I was not the only one who dreamt that water will be available in my doorstep, it was everybody’s dream”.