Water rates to rise in first quarter of 2019
Water consumers in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces will pay more for their monthly bill in the first quarter of 2019 even as inflation eases and as the peso strengthens.
The consumer price index slowed to 6 percent year-on-year in November, following nine consecutive months of increase and after peaking at 6.7 percent in September and October.
Patrick Lester N. Ty, chief regulator at the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, said yesterday in an interview that the MWSS board approved an increase of 64 centavos per cubic meter for Manila Water Co. Inc. as well as P1.48 per cubic meter for Maynilad Water Services Inc.
Ty said that the figure for Manila Water covered an upward adjustment of P1.54 per cubic meter for inflation and a reduction of 90 centavos per cubic meter for foreign currency differential adjustment (FCDA).
Also, the rate hike for Maynilad covered an increase of P1.95 per cubic meter for inflation and a decrease of 47 centavos per cubic meter for FCDA.
Based on MWSS data, the latest quarterly adjustment for Manila Water was less than the net increase of 90 centavos per cubic meter that is in effect during the fourth quarter of 2018.
Also, the latest adjustment for Maynilad reverses the decrease of 47 centavos per cubic meter that the MWSS approved for the present quarter.
Ty said that for Manila Water customers, the first-quarter adjustments would mean an additional P3.34 in the monthly bill of lifeline customers or those who consume 10 cubic meters or less.
For those with the same volume but are not lifeline customers, they will pay an additional P4.34 a month.
Manila Water residential customers billed for 20 cubic meters will pay P7.39 more while those with 30 cubic meters will pay P15.01 more.
For Maynilad customers, the adjustment means paying P5.30 more a month for those who use 10 cubic meters or less; P20.08 for those with 20 cubic meters, and P41.02 for those with 30 cubic meters.
“We’d like to assure the public that MWSS works to ensure that the right computations are made to arrive at the approved rate adjustments for every quarter,” Ty said.
