Senators welcome Manila Water’s waiver, but say it is not enough

Senators welcomed Tuesday the decision of Manila Water to implement a “one-time bill waiver scheme” to compensate customers affected by the water serving interruption but said it should not stop there.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said the announcement is a “big win for ordinary paying consumers but we must not stop here. There is more that needs to be done in order to prevent this crisis from happening again.”

“I hope this development will serve as a stepping stone as we thoroughly scrutinize the concession agreements entered into by our government with private water companies and revisit the government's overall privatization policy of public utilities, such as water,” Hontiveros said in a press statement.

Hontiveros also called on Manila Water to reimburse public hospitals affected by the water crisis, saying that reimbursing public hospitals is the next step after waiving its consumers’ bill next month.

“In the same spirit and under the same principle that guided it in waiving its water fees as a form of compensation to consumers, Manila Water should immediately reimburse the said public hospitals and compensate them for the public health risks their patients were exposed to because of the water crisis,” she said.

She said Manila Water must make good on its promise to compensate all those who were severely affected by the water crisis and help restore consumer trust and confidence.

Hontiveros said data from Department of Health (DOH) showed six public hospital hospitals suffered total losses of P4.116  million at the height of the water crisis.

She said that from March 8-18, the Rizal Medical Center, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), National Center for Mental Health, East Avenue Medical Center and the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center sustained added operational costs amounting to P1.372 million.

Meanwhile, from March 12-18, the Rizal Medical Center and the NKTI incurred estimated revenue losses of P630,000 and P1.750 million, respectively, or a total of P 2.380 M as a result of limiting patients due to the limited water supply.

For her part, Senator Grace Poe thanked the Manila Water board for the decision.

“Mabuti naman may magandang kinahinatnan ang ating pagdinig at ang ating apela sa kanila na dapat ay mabigyan ng tulong ang ating mga kababayan,” said Poe, public services committee chairperson who conducted hearing on the matter recently.

“Pero hindi pa po natatapos doon sapagkat kailangan din nating matunton kung ano ba talaga ang ugat nitong problema at paano natin masosolusyonan at masiguro na hindi na ito mangyayaring muli,” she added.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, said the waiver is not enough.

“Marami pa silang dapat ibigay or i-give back sa mga consumers. Noong hearing di ba napag-usapan natin kung unilateral sa kanila gawin na lang nila na itigil ang pagsingil dun Cardona water treatment facility mas makakaganda para wala nang discussion with MWSS,” he said.

He said MWSS has been including in its bill the cost of Cardona water treatment facility even before it was built.

“Hindi pa ginagawa ang Cardona naninigil na sila although that’s in the concession agreement. Pero dapat sila magkusa na nagkaloko-loko na ang supply ng tubig pagkatapos di pa nasisimulan nasa business plan naaprubahan ang Cardona water treatment naniningil na sila sa consumer,” he said.

“Kung walang water crisis fine because that’s parang a sovereign guarantee. Pero nagka-crisis, dapat umatras sila nang kaunti, huwag muna maningil or i-waive muna ang paniningil,” he added. — RSJ, GMA News