ILOILO City – By the end of the month of May or beginning of June this year, consumers in this city may likely be paying higher for water delivered by Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD).
According to the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), its evaluation of MIWD’s proposed new rates may take around three months.
LWUA acting administrator Jeci Lapus was here on Thursday for a public consultation on MIWD’s proposed rate increase – P200 per 10 cubic meters of water or P20 per cubic meter of water.
The current rate is P159 per 10 cubic meters of water or P15.90 per cubic meter of water.
Lapus said LWUA’s approval of the proposed new rate is almost certain.
What LWUA is currently doing, he said, is evaluating MIWD’s rationale in wanting to increase its rate.
The proposed increase is P41 or 26 percent higher than the current rate.
Lapus said MIWD wants to increase the salaries of its employees who have not experienced increments in their compensation for a long time.
The water district also noted the increase in the prices of fuel, said Lapus.
“Ang sabi ko kay (MIWD) general manager Imelda (Magsuci) we will consider their tariff increase based on the power and oil (price) hike, (and) based on the(ir proposed) salary adjustment,” said Lapus.
The LWUA chief also assured Iloilo City consumers the agency would be taking into consideration the effects of the water rate increase to them.
As a matter of policy, LWUA allows a maximum of 60 percent increase in water rate hike.
According to Magsuci, the last time MIWD raised its water rate was 14 years ago or in 2004.
“Indi na ka-cope ang water district sa operational expenses because of the inflation,” said Magsuci early this month.
Inflation is the general increase in the prices of goods and services.
Magsuci said MIWD is burdened by operating expenses and is unable to generate revenue, so it has to increase its water rate.
On the other hand, according to Amarylis Josephine Castro, chairperson of MIWD’s Water Rates Committee, MIWD actually has the lowest among the rates of various water districts in Western Visayas.
She cited 2016 figures from LWUA which showed the following rates:
* Metro Roxas Water District – P252 per 10 cubic meters of water
* Bacolod City Water District – P208 per 10 cubic meters of water
* Metro Kalibo Water District – P205 per 10 cubic meters of water
* Dumangas-Barotac Water District – P283 per cubic meters of water
* Buenavista Water District – P205 per 10 cubic meters of water
Magsuci said their proposed rate increase was conceptualized way back in 2015.
Its P12.349-billion 25-year water distribution joint venture with MetroPac Water Investments Corp. (MWIC) had nothing to do with the proposed rate increase, stressed MIWD.
According to Engr. Arnold Laurente, chairperson of MIWD’s joint venture selection committee, the water district and MWIC agreed that for the first two years of the venture, the rate prevailing at the time of the water distribution takeover would be followed.
MIWD’s service area is some 373 square kilometers covering this city and seven municipalities in Iloilo province./PN
