ILOILO City – Starting November 2025, households and businesses in this city and nearby municipalities will see a water rate adjustment — the first in six years — yet Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) stressed that Iloilo will still have the lowest water tariffs in Western Visayas.
The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), in coordination with the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD), has approved the adjustment, which will be implemented in two tranches.
From the current basic rate of P20 per cubic meter for the first 0–10 cubic meters, the rate will rise to P25.20 in November 2025, with a further P3.47 increase to take effect in March 2026, bringing the total to P28.67.
“For example, a household consuming between 0 to 10 cubic meters will now pay P252.02, compared to the current bill of P200,” explained MPIW chief operating officer Angelo David Berba. “The rate adjustment was originally scheduled as early as 2019, but we held it off due to the pandemic, inflation in fuel and electricity, and the concerns of our local government partners.”
The adjustment will apply to Iloilo City’s six districts — Jaro, Molo, Mandurriao, La Paz, City Proper, and Arevalo — as well as the towns of Maasin, Cabatuan, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Oton, Pavia, and Leganes.
The increase follows a socialized pricing scheme approved by LWUA, where industrial and commercial consumers shoulder higher rates, effectively subsidizing low-income and small residential users.
“This ensures that the majority of households, especially those consuming less water, continue to enjoy affordable rates,” Berba said.
MIWD general manager Alfredo Tayo underscored that even after the adjustment, Iloilo’s rates remain among the lowest in Western Visayas and other comparable urban centers.
“This is the first rate adjustment in six years despite rising operational costs, including a 33% hike in bulk water costs annually and a 74% increase in material costs since 2019,” Tayo noted.
Officials clarified that the adjustment will not fund capital expenditures (CAPEX) such as new infrastructure projects. Instead, it will cover operational expenditures (OPEX) like salaries, electricity, fuel, and maintenance — expenses that have ballooned in recent years. MPIW and MIWD said they had absorbed much of these costs to delay the adjustment for as long as possible.
Before final approval, MPIW held a series of public consultations from May 27 to 30 in Iloilo City and its service municipalities. Additional community outreach — including live sessions, media coverage, house-to-house information drives, and presentations to local governments — were also conducted to inform consumers about the reasons for the adjustment.
Berba said MPIW is pursuing projects that will directly improve water service, including leak detection and reduction, smart metering, pipe rehabilitation, and pressure management systems.
“Our goal is to deliver smart, sustainable, and equitable water service to our communities,” he said.
MPIW is a joint venture between MIWD and Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp., with MIWD acting as regulator and MPIW managing operations such as system maintenance and expansion./PN
