Maynilad announces water service interruption 

The Maynilad Water Services received on Monday another clamor from senators after its recent announcement to implement scheduled service interruptions in parts of Metro Manila’s West Zone starting July 12 as a result of lower allocation from the Angat Dam, according to a report by Philippine News Agency.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go emphasized that Maynilad was privatized to provide better services for water consumers.

"Alam niyo, ang ating mga kababayan nagbabayad po yan ng tama at sapat. Dapat ibalik po ito sa maayos na serbisyo (You know, our people pay right and enough. It should be matched with an efficient service)," Go said during an interview after distributing aid for fire victims and indigent families in Novaliches, Quezon City.

"Gawan niyo po ng paraan. Napakahirap po nang walang tubig, napakaimportante niyan - diyan tayo umiinom, hugas lalo na ngayon nasa panahon tayo ng pandemya. Kailangan yung sanitation, malinis tayo parati. So, gawan niyo po ng paraan (Find a way. It's so hard to be without water which is very important -- we drink and wash through it especially now that we are in a pandemic. We need proper sanitation to be always clean. So, find a way)," he added.

After Benpres and Suez ceded management and control of Maynilad to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in 2005, DMCI-MPIC Water Company acquired 83.96 percent of its shares.

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) allocates water supply from Angat Dam to MWSS which decided to reduce its supply for Maynilad to 48 cubic meters per second.

Angat Dam provides 97 percent of Metro Manila’s water supply. The water level in the dam hit 179.23 meters as of July 11.

In a recent statement, Sen. Grace Poe urged MWSS to address the matter which can potentially affect almost 600,000 water consumers.

"MWSS should not take this matter sitting down as these recurring service cuts will affect over half a million consumers," Poe said calling Maynilad's announcement "unacceptable."

Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, said the MWSS should determine whether water utilities like Maynilad are adhering to their obligations based on their franchise.

"MWSS should be proactive. It can't be just the bearer of bad news to consumers of Maynilad's water cuts," she said.

The lawmaker stressed anew the need to establish a Department of Water Resources to give focus on water use and management saying that the regulatory framework for water in the country has many overlaps, and economic regulations are provided under different setups, resulting in instability and fragmentation.