Calvario is a rural barangay located North of Isabela City in Basilan. Based on NSO Census 2010, 1,348 individuals occupy the 871.53 hectares of land.
Over the years, Km. 16 in Brgy. Calvario in Isabela City has experienced scarcity of water. They always rely on peddlers which sells water at high cost for their daily water needs. But in 2004 this problem was addressed when USAID under Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program together with Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) provided them with a water system. The water system has provided them with water for two (2) years, until, for some unknown reasons, the service was discontinued. Thus, leaving the community with the burden of going back to their old means.
Until in the year 2013, through the initiative of the City Government of Isabela, the Barangay became a recipient of the Bottom Up Budgeting 2013 – Water. The City was granted with 1.7 Million pesos which is intended to Repair and Rehabilitate the Water System in Km. 16, Barangay Calvario.
They started the construction on January 16, 2014 and was completed on July 30, 2015. The project catered to 48 out of the 100 household of the said community.
On October 5, 2015, the project was turned over to the Barangay Council of Calvario. The event was graced by City Mayor Cherrylyn Santos-Akbar, City Local Government Operations Officer Pilar V. Gudio, the Barangay Chairman together with the Barangay Officials and CSO Representatives and the City Government Department Heads. The key of responsibility was also handed to the Barangay Council on the said occasion.
Brgy. Calvario has several water sources however, potability of water from these sources are not guaranteed. Thus, in the Level II Water System Project, a chlorinator was established to ensure potability of the water. Yet, even before the project was completed, some resident still use the water from unprotected water sources for drinking saying that water from these sources were already used for drinking for a very long time. They claim they did not experience water borne diseases which was confirmed by the Barangay Health Worker.
The water project did not only provided the residents with potable water but also it improved the residents’ state of being. Cost of water consumption was cut down from P 1,000.00 to P 1,500.00 per month to only P200-250 per month. Tap stands were also installed in this project. Each tap stand has two (2) faucet, thus, making the water more accessible to the households in the community.
The Barangay Council was assigned to be the care taker for the water system in their Barangay. The Barangay Council has then assigned an official to oversee the operations
and maintenance of the water system. The said barangay official is also responsible for recording the consumption of the concessionaires based on the meter reading. He will also collect the corresponding fees every 15th and 30th of the month. The funds collected will be used as a revolving balance for the diesel which is used in the system’s generator.
Though the water system only operates four (4) hours every day – 4am to 8am, the barangay council said that this time is enough for the residents to gather water.
With the completion of the project, the barangay will no longer live up to its name Calvario, which means suffering. The residents’ means of fetching water became lighter. The populace only hopes that the project will be sustained and will benefit not only the current residents but also the future generations.