Consumer group says Maynilad, Manila Water to dig up most of Metro Manila to comply with SC ruling

Most of Metro Manila’s land area will have to be dug up simultaneously by the two major water concessionaires to comply with a Supreme Court (SC) order, the Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente (BK3) said Wednesday.

“The two concessionaires have no choice but to comply with the order issued last August. And that means the public will suffer even more with nightmare traffic,” Louie Montemar, BK3 convenor, said in a statement.

Manila Water Company Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. were fined by the SC for failing to comply with the Philippine Clean Water Act.

Section 8 of the Philippine Clean Water Act requires the connection of existing sewage line in all subdivisions, condominiums, commercial centers and other establishments, including households, to an available sewerage system.

The SC has fined both companies, as well as the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), P921.464 million covering the period of violation from May 7, 2009 until August 6, 2019— when the high court promulgated its decision.

Maynilad and Manila Water intend to appeal the SC decision.

According to BK3, the SC ruling reversed an earlier decision that allowed concessionaires to finish their sewerage projects until 2037.

“The new ruling will penalize all of us, including businesses and the economy. And who is the beneficiary? We see no one,” Montemar claimed.

“So why cause pain when it is unnecessary and reverse the 2037 deadline which makes a whole lot of sense?” he further claimed.

The spending needed to comply with the SC decision could translate to higher water rates, Montemar also claimed. “This same Supreme Court ruling will also increase water rates by as much as P16 more per cubic meter, because of the hundreds of billions of pesos needed to finish the projects.”

In imposing the fines , the SC affirmed earlier rulings by the Court of Appeals and denied a petition filed by the MWSS and the private concessionaires in a decision penned by Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando.

“So we, the consumers, will get a double whammy,” Montemar claimed.

GMA News Online has contacted Maynilad  and Manila Water, but has not received a response as of this posting. —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News