MANILA — Government regulators will issue a memorandum circular within the month prohibiting water districts or joint-venture operators from charging fees or disconnecting customers if these utility providers are not meeting service standards.
The plan was disclosed during a hearing of the Senate committee on public services, where consumer concerns were raised before officials of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).
The panel chair, Sen. Raffy Tulfo, said many consumers are being forced to pay even when the water supply reaching their communities is insufficient or of poor quality.
LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga said his agency and the NWRB “are working on a joint memorandum circular [stating that] if the service level required of a water district, including its partner, is not met for more than a month, consumers don’t have to pay and their services cannot be disconnected.”
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros also asked both LWUA and NWRB if they could pave the way for a refund in the case of consumers who had been paying water bills despite the poor service.
“I hope sooner or later the LWUA and NWRB would review the possibility of a refund for consumers… if they were made aware that consumers are paying more than they should,” Hontiveros said.
The Senate committee on public services is looking into the joint venture agreements between local water districts and private companies following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’ State of the Nation Address last July, when he vowed to hold underperforming companies accountable.
Marcos then reported that consumer complaints had reached his office, along with a situational report submitted by LWUA. (Charie Abarca © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
