Head office of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System in Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo from the MWSS website)
MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office will penalize Maynilad Water Services Inc. for its “unusual and prolonged” water service interruptions from December last year until February this year, its official said Monday.
MWSS Regulatory Office chief Patrick Lester Ty said the agency has come up with a resolution that will impose a financial penalty against the water concessionaire for its water service interruptions which is due to the failure of its Putatan water treatment plant.
Ty said Maynilad failed to meet its obligation of providing uninterrupted 24-hour supply of water in its area.
“Customers with the Putatan water treatment plan supply zone were found to have been deprived of water service obligation for at least 15 days, which adversely impacted their health and welfare,” Ty said in a press briefing.
Ty said the MWSS has already sent a notice to explain to Maynilad on Feb. 11 for its “non-adherence” to the water service interruption schedules it announced through public advisories, as complained by Maynilad customers and seen in random verification conducted by the agency.
“The MWSS is set to implement the financial penalty in the form of bill rebates to affected Maynilad customers by April,” he said.
The agency is already identifying accounts that will be covered by the rebate, the amount, and the policies and procedures to implement it.
Ty said the MWSS is eyeing a public information drive to clarify the bill rebates and inform affected customers.
“The welfare of the consumers should remain the paramount priority, especially during this time when water is most essential for preventing the spread of COVID-19 virus,” he said.
The MWSS earlier investigated Maynilad for possible contract violations due to the continuing water service interruptions in its concession area.
Maynilad customers in the cities of Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Pasay, Bacoor, Imus, and Cavite, as well as in the municipalities of Noveleta and Rosario, which are covered by Maynilad’s Putatan Water Treatment Plant’s (PWTP) supply zone, have been experiencing water supply interruptions since December 2021.
MWSS said customers should be enjoying uninterrupted supply of potable water at a minimum pressure of 7 pounds per square inch.
For Senator Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate public services committee, the penalty imposed by the MWSS should serve as a “clarion call” to water providers to “put a premium to quality service at all times.”
She said it is unacceptable for customers to “grin and bear” the lack of water supply when access to water is a fundamental human right.
“We expect a just rebate to our consumers that will reflect on their bills at the promised time. This will be a welcome relief for the households who endured the months without a steady water supply,” she said in a statement.
She said she also expects water concessionaires to have mapped out contingencies to meet water needs in their areas of coverage during the summer months, as this is their mandate and responsibility to consumers.
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