MANILA, Philippines — Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares has slammed Manila Water’s treatment of petitioners who filed complaints against the water concessionaire for its service interruptions starting last March.
Colmenares, who led the filing before the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) on Monday, said the Manila Water initially refused to receive the documents.
“Ang nangyari sa loob, ayaw kasing tanggapin ng Manila Water hangga’t hindi kami pumunta sa MWSS, siyempre ‘yong MWSS hindi rin tatanggapin ‘yong original na copy kung walang pirma ng Manila Water, so pumunta na naman kami sa Manila Water,” he said in an interview after the filing.
(Manila Water refused to accept the document, saying we should file it first wit the MWSS. But the MWSS would not receive the original copy if Manila Water has no signature. So we went back to Manila Water.)
“Nung na-file na namin ay pina pa receive na, walang lumalabas sa kanila to receive it. Only when I placed ‘refused to receive’ tsaka sila lumabas,” he added in a message to INQUIRER.net.
(When we filed it, nobody wants to receive it. They only acknowledged it when we indicated in the document that they refused to accept it.)
Colmenares, who is gunning for a Senate seat this 2019 midterm elections, claimed that the public would have a difficult time lodging grievances at the agency since they — lawyers by profession — were poorly treated.
He said that a more accommodating process can spare ordinary people from filing cases before the courts.
“Kung mag-complaint ka pala sa kanila, pahirapan ka talaga nila and to think lawyers na kami, how much more kung hindi ka abugado, dahil you’re given the run around,” he claimed.
(If you file a complaint against them, they will give you a hard time. We are lawyers, but we were given the runaround.)
In a video sent by Bayan Muna to reporters, it appeared that Colmenares had submitted the petition to the MWSS’ Regulatory Office without proof that Manila Water received it.
He also showed reporters a copy of the petition with the mark ‘refused to receive,’ but it was crossed out after Manila Water decided to accept the document.
PHOTO by Gabriel Pabico Lalu/INQUIRER.net
Due to the water concessionaire’s actions, the former lawmaker noted the irony between Manila Water’s behavior and its slogan.
“Care in every drop? Eh wala kaming naramdamang care doon sa nangyari kanina, at pangalawa, syempre kung walang drop, walang care,” Colmenares said in jest.
INQUIRER.net tried to reach Manila Water’s Corporate Communications Office for its reaction on Colmenares’ allegations, but they have not replied as of posting time.
Earlier, the petitioners asked MWSS to rebate the whole P1.134 billion fine imposed on Manila Water, instead of the original plan which was to rebate P534 million and charge the remaining P600 million against the company’s future projects.
According to MWSS Administrator Reynaldo Velasco, the effect on Manila Water is that it cannot seek tariffs based on P600 million worth of their projects. /ee
READ: Bayan Muna asks MWSS to rebate all Manila Water fines to customers
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READ: MWSS: Manila Water can’t let customers shoulder fines
READ: Bayan Muna asks MWSS to rebate all Manila Water fines to customers
READ: BREAK: MWSS fines Manila Water for supply shortage
READ: MWSS: Manila Water can’t let customers shoulder fines