MNWD: Approval of new rate won’t go beyond 20 days

By Paulo DS. Papa

THE appointment of former Ang Probinsyano Partylist representative Ronnie Ong as the new chairman of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) board of trustees is expected to finally approve the proposed water rate increase of the Metro Naga Water District (MNWD).

MNWD Acting General Manager Florencio Mongoso Jr., told Bicol Mail that with the appointment of Ong by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last May 26 as the new chairman of the board will finally resolve the deferred implementation of the increase in water rate.

The MNWD endorses an additional of 28 percent increase in water rate or P165.00 increase in water bills per month.

Mongoso said that a day after Ong’s appointment, a dialogue between the appointee and LWUA Administrator Vicente Homer Revil occurred and tackled concerning steps to hasten the process for rate increase proposed by the MNWD and some other water districts in the country.

Since January, this year, the MNWD has been pushing for the approval of the new rate but because of the non-appointment of a permanent LWUA head, the plan has for several times been deferred.

Mongoso said that a LWUA board meeting is expected to be conducted this month to discuss Revil’s request for an authorization for him to issue provisional authority that will allow MNWD to pursue with the implementation of new water rate.

As of this writing, the documents required by the board to grant Revil with his requested authority is now on process. Mongoso expressed optimism that the process should not take too long as it will be violative to RA 11032 or Ease of Doing Business Law if the process will go beyond 20 days. Government-run corporations are obliged to complete such kind of transaction not beyond such period.