More than 198,000 customers of Maynilad Water Services Inc. affected by the prolonged water service interruptions from December to January in Muntinlupa and nearby cities and municipalities will get rebates in their bills.
This was announced by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System-Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) on March 30 during its Public Information Drive on the rebate program for affected Maynilad customers held at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Barangay Tunasan.
The forum was attended by MWSS-RO Chief Regulator Patrick Lester Ty, MWSS-RO Deputy Administrator for Technical Regulation Evelyn Agustin, Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, Muntinlupa City Council’s Majority Floor Leader Raul Corro and representatives from Maynilad.
The MWSS-RO imposed a P63.97 million financial penalty on Maynilad due to the water service interruptions the water company implemented from December to February that affected customers serviced by its Putatan Water Treatment Plant in Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Las Piñas and Pasay; and the cities of Bacoor, Imus and Cavite, and municipalities of Rosario and Noveleta in Cavite.
According to the MWSS-RO, it imposed the penalty on Maynilad as the company “failed to meet its Service Obligation of ensuring the availability of an uninterrupted 24 hour supply of water at seven (7) pounds per square inch (psi) minimum pressure to all connected Customers in its Service Area.”
In her presentation, MWSS-RO’s Agustin said a total of 198,315 customers of Maynilad in the affected areas will each get a bill rebate of P323 that will be reflected in their bills.
The amount of rebate was derived from dividing the P63.97 million penalty on Maynilad by the number of affected customers.
Before the amount of rebate was announced, Fresnedi said he hoped that the presentations during the forum “will clarify many issues regarding these water service interruptions.”
“The MWSS-RO is here, first and foremost, to protect your welfare,” Ty told the participants.
Last Feb. 8, the Muntinlupa City Council held a public hearing with Maynilad and MWSS-RO representatives including Ty to investigate the prolonged water service interruption in Muntinlupa, which lasted up to 18 hours per day while other areas had no water for days.
Muntinlupa customers also complained about the brownish water that came out of their faucets, making it unusable for drinking or cooking.