ILOILO CITY: The Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) on Friday committed to transparency with its five-year development plan as it thanked the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council) for its positive response to its explanation on the water rate adjustment.
In a statement, the MPIW committed to complying with the recommendations of the city council and maintaining ‘open, transparent, and honest communication with all stakeholders.’
‘The company will conduct a series of information, education, and communication in the communities starting this month to further communicate its five-year development plans and status to all its stakeholders,’ it said.
The MPIW also clarified that it was the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) – not the MPIW – that recently applied before the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to raise the basic rate of PHP20 per cubic meter to PHP29.19 per cubic meter
The MPIW is a joint venture agreement between the MIWD and the Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp., signed in 2019.
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MIWD has a 20 percent share and is tasked with monitoring to ensure MPIW fulfills its obligations as a water distribution utility.
The MPIW issued the statement after the city council passed a resolution on Wednesday requesting the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) to hold a committee hearing with the MPIW ‘to ensure transparency and to give constituents the opportunity to voice their concerns.’
The council resolution said the NWRB is entrusted with the ‘critical function of overseeing and regulating water resources management within the country.’
The committee of the whole report cited that the MPIW, in a letter dated July 18, indicated that there had been no increase in water rates since November 2018.
“The proposed tariff rate amendment intended to, among others, augment the budget for capital expenditures, address rising operational costs, and ensure uninterrupted water supply,” the council committee report said.
Source: Philippines News Agency