METRO Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) Commercial head Kathleen Sadio explains the rate increase for Metro Iloilo water consumers. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY — Water consumers in Metro Iloilo have been assured of a gradual rate increase from P20 to P28.67 per cubic meter.
Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) Commercial head Kathleen Sadio said they are implementing the increase in two phases beginning November when consumers will have to pay the initial rate of P25.20 per cubic meter.
The second phase will be in March when consumers pay the whole P28.67 per cubic meter with the additional P3.47 per cubic meter.
On average, consumers will have to pay a little over P252 for the minimum consumption of 10 cubic meters. The current rate is P200.
The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) approved the MPIW rate increase last August.
The gradual increase was done out of consideration to more than 50,200 residential and commercial consumers in Iloilo City as well as the towns of Leganes, Oton, Pavia, Santa Barbara, Cabatuan, and San Miguel.
This will be the first rate increase in nearly six years after Metro Pacific Water (MPW) forged a joint venture with government-owned Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) to form MPIW.
Despite operating at a loss since 2019, MPIW deferred the implementation of the water hike to ease the negative impact of the pandemic.
Sadio said that now is the time for the increase due to the cost of their bulk water supply which jumped to P20.71 per cubic meter in 2024 from P13.81 per cubic meter in 2019.