DUMAGUETE CITY – The Kauban sa Barangay Program of Metro Dumaguete Water, a program that delivers MDW services directly to the heart of Dumaguete neighborhoods, has won the bronze trophy from the Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards 2024 for its Innovative Achievement in Customer Satisfaction.
The Kauban sa Barangay program was launched in 2022 as a grassroots campaign to improve the delivery of services to Dumaguete neighborhoods. It started with a walk-the-line program where MDW management roamed neighborhoods at sunrise, actively engaging with water consumers through a house-to-house approach. The monthly endeavor provided a platform for residents to voice concerns directly to the MDW management.
Building on the success of the initial phase, the program expanded to a barangay event with the support of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC). Informative orientations were organized to educate residents on company projects and reassure them of water quality and supply reliability. Furthermore, consumers are also able to conduct transactions such as water billing concerns and other complaints conveniently within their own barangays.
“This achievement awarded by Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards demonstrates Metro Dumaguete Water’s emphasis on customer satisfaction through innovative programs like the Kauban. Moreso, the program’s success encourages us to continue to scale up such initiatives to foster meaningful connections with our valued kauban, the Dumagueteños,” Engr. Rob Cabiles, MDW Chief Operating Officer, said.
“Dako kaayo ug importansya ang programa sama sa Kauban sa Barangay partikular na diri sa nga taga brgy taclobo kay nahatagan sila ug katinawan kung unsa man gyud and Metro Dumaguete Water. Nalipay ta kay ang katuyuan sa MDW sa pag serbisyo kay ang ma improve ang water system diri sa dakbayan sa Dumaguete,” Taclobo Barangay Captain Roger Bohol said.
(Programs like the Kauban sa Barangay are very important especially to the residents of Barangay Taclobo since these explains the goals of Metro Dumaguete Water to its consumers. We are happy that MDW continues to seek improved water system services in Dumaguete City.)
The banquet for the 11th annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards was held last 24 May at Shangri-La The Fort Hotel.
This year, judges considered around 1,000 nominations about innovative achievements. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 150 executives around the world acting as judges. The 2024 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards covered organizations in 25 markets including Australia, Cambodia, mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Estonia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.
The Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards is an international business awards competition established in 2013. The focus of the awards is on recognizing innovation in all its forms.
The improvements in the service of MDW have also earned the approval of Dumaguete water consumers, who gave it a “satisfactory” rating in a recent survey conducted by researchers from Silliman University and from MDW’s regulator, the Dumaguete City Water District.
The Metro Dumaguete Water, which started operations in February 2021, is a company formed through a Joint Venture Agreement between the Dumaguete City Water District and Metro Pacific Water (MPW) in 2019 to improve the supply and delivery of water to more than 36,000 consumers accounts.
