Head office of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System in Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo from the MWSS website)
MANILA, Philippines — Manila Water customers affected by service interruptions may receive rebates in full by June or July 2019, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) chief regulator Patrick Ty said on Monday.
Ty said the two month-delay would allow Manila Water to solve its water service problem first and also to give the concessionaire due process.
“My target is June or July because I want to give due process [to Manila Water. I feel that June or July would be the best time because the problem will have been solved by then, hopefully,” Ty, speaking in English and Filipino, told reporters in an ambush interview at the MWSS Regulatory Office in Quezon City.
“First reason is that our priority is the resumption of water service. That’s the priority. I don’t want people to be distracted, specifically Manila Water… I want them to give full attention in fixing the water problem, to return the service,” he added.
Ty also stressed that MWSS would seek the immediate implementation of a possible rebate, instead of spreading the total amount over a year and subtracting it from a customer’s monthly bill.
“Our plan is not to stagger the effectivity of the rebate,” he said. “When we say rebate, you should get the full rebate, not partial one staggered over a year. What we want is for you to get the full rebate in one or two months.”
“It‘s better to implement it when the billing has been normalized. That’s when you will feel the rebate. If we do it this March or April, your billing will be small because there’s no water. You might not feel the effect of the rebate,” he added.
Earlier, Manila Water customers represented by Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. filed a petition before MWSS asking for rebates based on the increased expenditures of affected households.
They also asked MWSS to stop any rate hike until a thorough review of Manila Water’s performance could be conducted.
READ: Groups want Manila Water penalized
Water interruptions affected areas being serviced by Manila Water this March due to decreasing water levels at La Mesa Dam, the company’s source of water.
Manila Water management said that the situation would only normalize by around May or up to early August — or during the onset of the rainy season. /atm
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