Manila Water rates up, Maynilad defers hike

MANILA, Philippines — Customers of east zone concessionaire Manila Water Co. Inc. will see a slight increase in their monthly water bills beginning April after government regulators approved an upward tariff adjustment.

West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. opted to defer the P0.09 increase in its foreign currency differential adjustment (FCDA), citing the need to maintain rate stability amid current economic conditions.

Manila Water will implement an increase of P0.04 per cubic meter in its water rate next month as a result of the tariff hike, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office chief regulator Patrick Ty said.

The tariff adjustment was approved by the MWSS board of trustees on March 12.

The tariff adjustment will translate to an increase of P0.21 for Manila Water customers consuming 10 cubic meters or less, P0.45 for 20 cubic meters or less and P0.90 for 30 cubic meters or less.

Ty said the upward FCDA was caused by a weaker peso, especially against the US dollar.

“Maynilad opted to defer its rate adjustment to mitigate the immediate financial pressure to consumers. We will see the adjustment applied in the third quarter,” Ty said at a press briefing.

Maynilad said it deemed “prudent” to maintain its current water rates following an assessment of the FCDA adjustment implementation.