MANILA, Philippines – Customers in Metro Manila may expect decreased water bills next month following the approval of quarterly adjustment for the concessionaires, Manila Water Company Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc., the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office (RO) announced.

In a statement on Tuesday, the MWSS-RO said the agency’s Board of Trustees has recently approved the recommendation to implement the 2020 fourth quarter Foreign Currency Differential Adjustment (FCDA) effective Oct. 1, 2020.

The FCDA is a quarterly-reviewed tariff mechanism that allows concessionaires to recover losses or give back gains arising from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, as payments are made for foreign currency-denominated loans that are used to fund the expansion and improvement of water and sewerage services.

It is a corrective mechanism formulated by the MWSS RO to avoid under recovery or over recovery caused by forex movements.

The MWSS said the Manila Water, which services the east zone concession area, will implement an FCDA of 1.17% or P0.33 per cubic meter of its 2020 average basic charge of P28.52 per cubic meter.

“This is a downward adjustment of Php0.15 per cubic meter from the previous FCDA of Php0.48 per cubic meter,” the agency added.

The rate adjustment translates to a decrease of P0.78 per month for Manila Water’s residential customers consuming 10 cubic meters or less.

Those consuming 20 cubic meters and 30 cubic meters per month are expected to have their bills go down by P1.73 and P3.52, respectively.

West zone concessioner Maynilad, on the other hand, will apply an FCDA of -0.26% of its 2020 Average Basic Charge of P36.24 per cubic meter or negative P0.09 per cubic meter.

“This is also a downward adjustment of P0.01 per cubic meter from the previous FCDA of negative P0.08 per cubic meter,” the MWSS said.

This adjustment means that Maynilad residential customers consuming 10 cubic meters or less are expected to see their monthly bills go down by P0.06.

Those consuming 20 cubic meters per month and 30 cubic meters per month are expected to have a decrease of P0.24 and P0.50, respectively on their bills this coming quarter, the MWSS said.

Maynilad Water Services Inc. has announced that several areas in Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pasay, and Cavite will experience weak water pressure or no water supply between 10:00 p.m. on September 17 and 7:00 a.m. of September 19.

Maynilad said they will temporarily close the Putatan Water Treatment Plant 1 in Muntinlupa City to conduct maintenance and upgrades for the said facility. The water concessionaire will also conduct several enhancement activities in the pipe network in Cavite.

Maynilad Water Supply Operations head Ronald Padua assured that water tanks will be available to supply water to affected residents.

“Makakakuha po sila ng tubig para sa pangangailangan nila sa mag-hapon at the same time kaya po ngayon pa lang ay nag-aanunsyo na kami para magkaroon ng pagkakataon mga customers namin na makapagipon,” he said. AAC (with reports from Joan Nano)

MANILA, Philippines – Hinihikayat ng Maynilad Water Services ang mga customer nito na magpalinis ng kani-kanilang septic tank sa bahay upang makaiwas sa sakit na dulot ng naipong dumi dito. 

Ayon sa kumpanya, nakapakahalaga na mapanatiling malinis ang kapaligiran lalo na sa gitna ng pandemya sa coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Binigyang diin ng Maynilad ang kahalagahan ng paglilinis ng septic tank isang beses kada limang taon.

“Ito po ay para mapanatili nating malinis ang ating kapaligiran at ang katubigan at maiwasan ang mga sakit tulad ng cholera, diarrhea, leptospirosis saka hepatitis,” pahayag ni John Aldrin Pangan, ang pangulo ng Septage Management Department ng Maynilad.

“Isa po ay para maiwasan rin natin na mag-overflow mga septic tank natin kasi nga puno na po ng sludge,” dagdag nito.

Mula nang pumasok ang buwan ng Hulyo, ibinalik na ng Maynilad ang desludging service nito kasabay ng pagluluwag ng quarantine restrictions sa Metro Manila at sa iba pang lugar.

Subalit maraming customers ang takot na magpaserbisyo sa pangambang magpapasok ng ibang tao sa kanilang bahay na maaring magdala ng virus.

Ngunit tiniyak naman ng Maynilad na nagpapatupad sila ng mahigipit na health and safety protocols sa kanilang mga empleyado na maglilinis ng septic tank. 

Kumpleto ang mga ito ng safety gear gaya ng facemask, face shield at gloves.

Regular din ang disinfection ng kanilang mga sapatos bago pumasok at lumabas ng bahay ng customer. 

Gayundin ay regular na nililinis ang hose at tanke na kanilang ginagamit upang makatiyak na walang nakakapit na virus. 

“Noon nag-resume po kami ng July, expected na po namin na mababa kaya po as much as possible gusto po namin maibalik,” ani Pangan. 

“Kaya po namin ginawa ang new normal protocols. Tinitiyak po namin na safe po magpalinis ng inyong septic tank,” dagdag nito.

Ayon sa Maynilad, walang babayaran ang mga customer na mapapalinis ng septic tank basta’t pasok ito sa schedule na isang beses sa loob ng limang taon.

Samantala, ang Manila Water naman ay hindi pa rin naibabalik ang kanilang disludging services sa mga customer mula nang ipairal ang enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Ito’y dahil hinhintay pa ng Manila Water ang clerance mula sa ilang lokal na pamahalaan.

Ang mga makokolektang waste material gaya ng solid waste ay dadalhin sa mga planta upang gawing fertilizer habang dadaan naman sa treatment ang tubig upang malinis at muling mapakinabangan. MNP (sa ulat ni Joan Nano)