SINGIL SA TUBIG SISIRIT

NAKATAKDANG tumaas ang singil ng West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. makaraang ibasura ng Court of Appeals (CA) ang apela ng MWSS na repasuhin ang isang arbitration ruling na nagpapahintulot sa rate adjustment.

Iniulat ng Metro Pacific Investments Corp.,  ang parent firm ng Maynilad, sa  Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) kahapon na tinanggihan ng CA Second Division ang petition for review na inihain ng regulator MWSS.

Sa desisyon nito noong Mayo 30, sinabi ng CA na walang merito sa petition for review, at pinagtibay ang  August 30, 2017 decision ng Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) at ang November 23, 2017 order ng korte.

Pinagbigyan ng RTC Branch 93 ng Quezon City ang petition for the confirmation and enforcement of the arbitral award ng Maynilad, na isinampa noong Hulyo 2015 makaraang tumanggi ang MWSS Regulatory Office na ipatupad ang final arbitration award pabor sa Maynilad.

Pinagtibay ng award ang 13.41 percent adjustment na ipinanukala ng  Maynilad sa ilalim ng fourth rate rebasing period.

“As previously disclosed, the final award upheld Maynilad’s entitlement to the inclusion of corporate income tax in its tariff, and the 13.41 percent rebasing adjustment that Maynilad proposed for the Fourth Rate Rebasing—January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017,” pahayag ng water utility.

“The RTC order, on the other hand, denied the motion for reconsideration which the MWSS filed following the RTC decision,” sabi pa kompanya.

Nauna nang sinabi ng Maynilad na ang final award  ay magreresulta sa average increase na P3.41 per cubic meter sa 2017 average basic charge na  P34.51 per cubic meter.

“For households with monthly water consumption of 10 cubic meters or less, this would translate to an increase of P11.56 in their monthly bill, from P118.61 to P130.18,” ayon pa sa Maynilad.

Bagama’t maaaring iakyat ng MWSS ang kanilang apela sa Supreme Court, ang CA decision na kumakatig sa RTC decision at RTC order, sinabi ng  Maynilad na dapat agad ipatupad ang final award.

“This decision reinvigorates investor confidence in the public-private partnership program of the government, and strengthens confidence in the mechanisms for enforcement of arbitral awards,” sabi ni Maynilad president Ramoncito Fernandez.