MNWD pleads for LWUA’s nod on proposed rate hike

By Paulo DS. Papa

THE request for water rate increase by the Metro Naga Water District (MNWD) is expected to be approved soon by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) board of trustees as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has appointed former Masbate governor Vicente Homer Revil as LWUA’s full-fledged administrator last February 6.

Sometime last year, MNWD Acting General Manager Florencio Mongoso Jr., said that an increase in water rate will not be implemented unless the president appoints a full-fledged LWUA administrator who is authorized to approve such proposals from any water district nationwide.

The increase was intended to generate funds for the operationalization of additional water pumping stations and realignment of old and thin water pipelines.

In an interview on Monday, Mongoso told Bicol Mail that MNWD’s request has already been forwarded to the board although he admitted that it will take a long time to approve the proposed rate as there are large numbers of water districts from different regions queuing for the same transactions at the LWUA.

“Iyan po an karahayan kan dating local official sirng kan satuyang bagong LWUA administrator nin huli ta nakakaintyende siya kan mga lakaw asin prayoridad kan mga yaon sa lokal na opisina, kaya heling ko pwedeng matawan tolos nin aksyon an pighahagad ta,” Mongoso said.

Mongoso reiterated that the increase is necessary as the current water rate being implemented by the MNWD is based on 2009 assessment. He said that under the existing rules and regulations, the MNWD is allowed to increase rate every three to five years, a policy which the previous management failed to observe.

He said admitted that the continued implementation of the present rate serves as one of the factors why the water district accumulate losses in the past.

“If I am not mistaken, the price of diesel in 2009 was P25.00. Now the diesel has a price of about P70.00. The rate for electricity was P8.00 per kilowatt hour and now it reached about P14.00 per kilowatt hour,” he said.

The acting general manager predicted that the operations of water pumping stations will be more costly with the present water rate amid the growing population and businesses including the escalating prices of goods and services.

MNWD is pursuing a price adjustment of 28 percent or P165.00 water rate increase per month.