By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine
Star) | Updated September 19, 2013
MANILA, Philippines - West Zone
concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) has added four new
villages in Las Pinas City in its service coverage.
These are Camella Homes 6, Diego
Cerra, Tierra Hermosa Homes 2 and St. Mary Homes.
As a result, some 740 households in
the said subdivisions now have round-the-clock water access at a minimum
pressure of 16 pounds per square inch (psi).
Prior to the takeover, residents in these
subdivisions had to rely on deep wells and costly water deliveries from private
water vendors.
“Studies have shown that prolonged
groundwater over-extraction leads to land sinking, which can damage
infrastructure and worsen flooding. Our aggressive expansion and service
improvement projects, especially in the south, aim to provide more people with
potable, reliable surface water so they do not have to extract groundwater for
their daily requirements,” said Maynilad president and CEO Ricky Vargas.
Maynilad services the cities of Manila
(all but portions of San Andres and Sta. Ana), Quezon City (west of San Juan
River, West Avenue, EDSA, Congressional, Mindanao Avenue, the northern part
starting from the Districts of the Holy Spirit and Batasan Hills), Makati (west
of South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa,
Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila; Cavite City, the cities of
Bacoor and Imus and the towns of Kawit,
Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.
Average basic water rates is supposed
to go down starting next month after the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage
System (MWSS) Regulatory Office denied the petitions filed by water
concessionaires Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad to hike rates.
Both concessionaires including East
Zone concessioners Manila Water, said they were contest the rate cut.
However, the MWSS board has approved a
29.47 percent downward adjustment on Manila Water’s 2012 average basic water
charge of P24.57 per cubic meter, which is supposed to be implemented in five
equal tranches of -5.894 percent per
year. Manila Water proposed a basic rate increase of P5.83 per cubic meter.
The MWSS board has likewise approved a
negative adjustment of 4.82 percent on Maynilad’s 2012 average basic water
charge of P30.28 per cubic meter, which is supposed to be implemented in five
equal tranches of -0.964 per charging year. Maynilad requested for an P8.58 per
cubic meter rate hike for 2013 to 2018.
MWSS acting chief regulator Emmanuel
Caparas said the board decided to approve the downward adjustment in water
rates as the two firms were unable to justify the need for higher rates based
on their business and investment plans for the next five years.
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