Maynilad Water Services Inc. has yet to receive any payment from the Manila Police District (MPD) for its unsettled water bills totaling P8 million.
“We have not received the P2.5 million payment indicated by [MPD officer in charge] Senior Supt. [Robert] Po,” Maynilad’s corporate communications head Cherubim Ocampo-Mojica said in a statement sent to the Inquirer on Wednesday.
The MPD headquarters on United Nations Avenue in Ermita, Manila, has been without water since last week after its supply was cut off when it failed to settle its debt to the water concessionaire.
Earlier, Po told the Inquirer that the MPD made a partial payment of P2.5 million to Maynilad last week.
“We also checked with the Regional Logistics Division of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) which processes the bill payments of MPD and it confirmed that no such payment had been made,” Mojica added.
Reached for comment, Po admitted his error. “My mistake. I was given that report last week. When I talked to my staff this morning, [they] said that only P500,000 was funded by the Philippine National Police headquarters,” Po said.
“Maynilad objected [to the partial payment] because [it was] expecting the full amount of P2.5 million. The national headquarters is now expediting the release of the amount needed for the reconnection of our water supply,” he added.
Mojica, meanwhile, said that the MPD promised to pay P1.7 million of its P6.5 million arrears by the end of last year but no settlement was made, forcing Maynilad to cut off the water supply to the police headquarters. Its debt to the water firm has since gone up to P8 million.
“For the record, we have always been extra considerate toward our government accounts, particularly MPD. We fully understand their funding constraints and would never make outrageous debt payment demands,” she added.