MANILA, Nov. 28 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday inaugurated Tunnel No. 5 of the Angat Water Transmission Improvement Project (AWTIP), expressing confidence that the project would help increase the water supply in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

During the launching ceremony at the Bigte Basin in Norzagaray, Bulacan, Marcos said the new tunnel strengthens the decades-old Umiray-Angat-Ipo-La Mesa system, which serves as the backbone for delivering water from Angat Dam to Metro Manila and to Mega Manila.

He noted that the raw water conveyance tunnel can carry over 1.6 billion liters of water daily, increasing the system's transport capacity from 6 billion to almost 8 billion liters per day.

"Right now, almost 90 percent ...