Did MIWD blindside Joe on rate hike hearing?

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BY CAROLYN JANE ABELLO
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Wednesday, February 28, 2018
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ILOILO City – Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) denied keeping Mayor Jose Espinosa III in the dark about its recent public hearing on the proposed increase in water rates.

A public notice was disseminated and the city government was certainly informed, insisted Amarylis Josephine Castro, MIWD officer-in-charge.

Espinosa claimed he was not informed about the Feb. 23 public hearing and that “ang ila (MIWD) ginpangayo posting lang (of the notice),” he said.

Castro said the notice was enough for Espinosa to know there was a scheduled public hearing.

“It is not true nga wala kami nagpabalo,” she insisted.

MIWD seeks to have a new rate – P200 per 10 cubic meters of water or P20 per cubic meter. This is P41 more (or 26 percent higher) than the current rate of P159 per 10 cubic meters (P15.90 per cubic meter) of water.

There was no need for MIWD to send a “personal invitation” to Espinosa, said Castro.

“What is required by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) is a posting (of notice) in public places, amo lang ‘na,” she said.

Certainly, she added, the mayor as consumer was free and welcome to attend the public hearing had he wanted to come, added Castro.

“Iya na ina ‘ya kun mag-attend sia kay this (public hearing) is not for the mayor, this is for all the concessionaires,” she stressed.

In fact, Castro added, although LWUA only set one public hearing for rate hike petitions, MIWD made it a point to hold several public hearings in the water district’s service areas.

Public hearings were held in this city and Iloilo towns of Maasin, Cabatuan, Santa Barbara, Leganes, Oton, and San Miguel, said Castro.

The local governments of these areas were sent notices about the public hearings, she added, and their respective mayors or their representatives attended./PN
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