CUSTOMERS of the two water concessionaires servicing Metro Manila will see lower water bills in the fourth quarter.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Chief Regulator Patrick Lester N. Ty said its board of trustees approved the implementation of the foreign currency differential adjustment (FCDA) for Manila Water Co., Inc. (MWCI) and Maynilad Water Services, Inc. The FCDA adjustment will be effective from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020.
East Zone water provider Manila Water will apply an FCDA of 1.17% or P0.33 per cubic meter (/cu.m.) of its average basic charge of P28.52/cu.m. This is P0.15/cu.m. lower than the previous quarter’s P0.48/cu.m.
Residential customers of Manila Water who consume 10 cubic meters or less will see their monthly bills reduced by P0.78, while those who consume 20 cu.m. and 30 cu.m. a month will see their bills drop by P1.73 and P3.52, respectively.
Maynilad, which services the West Zone concession area, said it will implement an FCDA of -0.26% or -P0.09/cu.m. of its average basic charge of P 36.24/cu.m. This is P0.01/cu.m. lower than the previous FCDA at -P0.08/cu.m.
Maynilad Head of Corporate Communications Jennifer C. Rufo said lifeline customers, or those consuming 10 cu.m. or less, will continue to enjoy the -0.35% FCDA that has been implemented since the first quarter of 2020.
Maynilad’s residential customers consuming an average of 20 cu.m. and 30 cu.m. per month will see a reduction of P0.25 and P0.50, respectively, in their monthly water bills in the fourth quarter.
“We retained the -0.35% FCDA for our lifeline customers because we know that they are experiencing financial pressure right now because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,” Ms. Rufo said in a mobile phone message.
The FCDA is a tariff mechanism which allows water concessionaires to regain losses or return gains caused by the movement of peso against other foreign currencies. The water providers pay foreign currency-denominated concession fees to MWSS, as well as loans that are used to fund projects to expand and improve water and sewerage services. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave