When they receive their bill in April, customers of Manila Water will find that they will not be charged for their first 10 cubic meters of water consumption in March.
Manila Water president and CEP Ferdinand dela Cruz announced this at a press conference Tuesday as he sought to quiet the anger of those in the East service zone that experienced a water shortage in the past few weeks.
Severely affected customers will not be charged at all, Dela Cruz said. “Severely affected” is defined as those which had 24-hour water supply interruptions for seven days or more.
Dela Cruz acknowledged that he can never fully pay back customers who were inconvenienced by the shortage. But it was more than inconvenience—it was financial or productivity loss as well. For instance, some water-dependent commercial establishments were not able to operate, or people were not able to work in the same level because they were agitated by the loss of water in the area.
The apology and the gesture of waiving charges are most welcome. After all, the bright executives of Manila Water should always be mindful that the business of water is not just any other business. It's a public utility without which individuals, households and industries will not be able to function effectively. Consumers deserve every centavo of the money they will not pay Manila Water next month—they do not owe anybody profuse thanks. It’s a penalty that the company has rightfully imposed upon itself.
But what customers deserve even better is seamless service regardless of adverse weather patterns or plain poor planning.
The summer months loom long and large, compounding the need for reliable water from the tap. Here’s hoping there will no longer be a repeat of the nightmarish scenarios that those from the East Zone encountered this month.