The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) has warned Maynilad Water Services Inc. of sanctions and penalties if it fails to resolve water service interruptions (WSI) and water quality issues that have affected customers in Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and parts of Cavite.
MWSS-RO issued a Notice to Explain to Maynilad due to mounting complaints from its customers.
Maynilad has the Putatan Water Treatment Plant in Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa, which sources raw water from the Laguna Lake. The raw water is processed and supplied to customers in Muntinlupa and other areas.
The company recently blamed the algal bloom in Laguna Lake as the reason why it imposed WSI in the Putatan treatment plant supply zone.
According to MWSS-RO, it is alarmed that the issues remain despite Maynilad’s current allocation of more than 2,400 million liters per day (MLD) at the Novaliches Portal, and implementation of measures to mitigate the impact of problems surrounding its Putatan Water Treatment Plant.
“The Office is gravely concerned about the adverse effects of the continuing water supply and quality issues on the health and welfare of the consumers,” the MWSS-RO said.
MWSS-RO said based on the concession agreement, Maynilad is expected to provide an uninterrupted 24-hour water supply to its customers in its service area, and to ensure that the quality of water being supplied to its customers follows the Philippine National Drinking Water Standards set by the Department of Health.
It said Maynilad promised to significantly improve water production by June 11 and to resume full production no later than June 15.
“The MWSS RO warns Maynilad that it will not hesitate to impose the appropriate sanctions, disallowances, penalties, and/or fines on the Concessionaire for any verified violation of its contractual obligations, or any failure to efficiently and prudently provide water, sewerage, and sanitation services to all of its customers,” it said.
On June 14, Maynilad sent text messages to its customers in Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa that they "will have low pressure to no water supply beginning 6/14/2022 12:00PM until 06/15/2022 06:00 AM due to raw water quality issue from Laguna Lake entering our Putatan Treatment Plant."
Last February, MWSS-RO imposed a financial penalty of P63.97 million on Maynilad for implementing WSI in the supply zone of the Putatan Water Treatment Plant from December 2021 to February 2022.