Higher Maynilad rates, lower Manila Water charges set in Q4
Customers of Maynilad Water Services Inc. may see an increase in their water bills in the fourth quarter. At the same time, those of Manila Water may pay less.
These are both due to foreign currency adjustments for the October-December quarter.
The Regulatory Office of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said the MWSS board of trustees has approved the implementation of the foreign currency differential adjustment (FCDA) for that period.
The FCDA is a tariff mechanism that is reviewed for every quarter. It enables the MWSS concessionaires to recover losses or give back gains based on changes in the value of the peso against foreign currencies.
Maynilad and Manila Water have to settle foreign currency-dominated loans that are used to finance the expansion and enhancement of their water and sewerage services.
“It is a corrective mechanism formulated by the MWSS-RO to avoid under-recovery or over-recovery caused by forex,” the regulator said.
According to the regulator, Maynilad’s FCDA is set at -19 centavos per cubic meter (cu. m). This translates to a rate increase that averages at 14 centavos per cu. m.
For consumers, those who use 10 cu. m of water or less will see an additional 40 centavos in their monthly bill. Consumers using 20 cu. m and 30 cu. m will have to pay more by about P1.53 and P3.13, respectively.
15 centavos less
Maynilad is the water and wastewater services provider for the West Zone, covering 17 cities and towns in Metro Manila and Cavite.
Manila Water, meanwhile, saw its FCDA lowered to 38 centavos per cu. m from the current 53 centavos. This resulted in a tariff reduction of 15 centavos per cu. m.
Customers of Manila Water who use 10 cu. m or less will see a decrease of 64 centavos in their bills for the quarter. Those consuming 20 cu. m and 30 cu. m, on the other hand, will record P1.43 and P2.91 reduction in their monthly bills.
Manila Water serves the East Zone Network of MWSS. It covers parts of Marikina, Pasig, Makati, Taguig, Pateros, Mandaluyong, San Juan, portions of Quezon City and Manila and several towns in Rizal province.
Those under the Enhanced Lifetime Program, or qualified low-income, low-consuming households, are exempt from the FCDA adjustment.
