The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Sunday announced that water bill discounts await low-income households under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.
This comes following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s (MWSS) regulatory office.
The partnership aims to enrol SHFC beneficiaries in the Enhanced Lifeline Program (ELP), a government-supported initiative that provides discounted water rates to low-income consumers.
“This is one testament that the Marcos administration wants a dignified living for our needy countrymen,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said.
“The President’s directive is clear; that under the expanded 4PH, we do not only provide housing but a more convenient life and a strong community,” he added.
The MOU was signed by SHFC president and chief executive Federico Laxa and MWSS regulatory office chief Patrick Lester Ty, underscoring both agencies’ dedication to uplifting vulnerable communities within the east zone franchise of Manila Water Co. and west zone’s Maynilad Water Services concession areas.
The partnership also pushes SHFC’s mandate by ensuring that its beneficiaries under the pro-poor and people- centric Enhanced Community Mortgage Program, as well as housing initiatives under the Expanded 4PH are not only given access to decent shelters but equally important to essential services necessary for dignified livelihood, starting with affordable, reliable water.
The ELP offers a discount on the basic charge of water bills for qualified low-income households consuming 20 cubic meters or less per month.
To qualify, beneficiaries must present a certification of low income and meet all program requirements.
