Charmaine Kara, MCWD department manager for community relations and external affairs explain the water rate hike during the 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo. With her is Astro Logarta, MCWD manager for production and distribution department, Ellias Baquero, Samuel Lao and Mark Jone Dela Cruz. CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON
The Cebu City Council will hold a public hearing on the 12 percent water rate increase to be imposed by the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) starting next month.
The City Council invited representatives from MCWD, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and consumer groups like Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water (CUSW), Consumers Rights for Economic Welfare Inc. (Crew), Freedom from Debt Coalition, All power and other groups to attend the Dec. 17 public hearing.
Mechanism
“I believe that the MCWD should come up with a mechanism to enable the public to have a better awareness of the advantages of the water rate increase,” Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. said in his privilege speech yesterday. The MCWD announced last Monday that the 12 percent water rate increase will be implemented by Jan. 1. This means an additional P1.60 to the current P13.60 per cubic meter for households consuming 10 cubic meters of water a month.
For those consuming 11 to 20 cubic meters a month, they will pay P16.80 from the current P15. Those with a monthly consumption of 21 to 30 cubic meters will pay P19.77 instead of the current P17.65 per cubic meter.
Large consumers, which are usually commercial establishments, will still be paying P48.40 per cubic meter if their consumption is 31 cubic meters or higher.
Archival, who heads the committee on utilities, said the water rate hike is a done deal since it was already approved by the LWUA.
Last May 7, the council conducted a public hearing with MCWD regarding the planned increase.
It was learned that the public hearing for the proposed increase was done eight years ago.
In 2005, the MCWD asked for a yearly 12 percent increase for five years from 2005 to 2009. But the LWUA only approved the increase in 2005 and 2006.