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Philippines
Thursday, March 28, 2024

‘Transitional’ water bill in the pipeline

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Maynilad Water Services Inc. said Thursday its customers’ June 2020 bill will reflect their total consumption during the enhanced community quarantine.

Following the resumption of its actual meter reading starting June 1, Maynilad said, its customers will be receiving a “transitional” water bill this month that will reflect their billing and consumption for the months of March to May and their bill for June 2020.

Maynilad made its statement even as Senator Sherwin Gatchalian proposed a bill extending the lifeline rate subsidies for 20 more years and provide a continuing relief to the marginalized households, or those who use 100 kilowatt hours or less of electricity a month.

Gatchalian, who heads the Senate committee on energy, filed Senate Bill 1583 that seeks to further amend the law extending the implementation of the lifeline rate.

With the lifeline-rate subsidy set to expire next year, Gatchalian sees the urgency to further extend the subsidies to help low-income power consumers until 2041.

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Customers with an average monthly consumption of 21 to 50 kilowatt hours are now entitled to a 50-percent discount, while those using an average of 51 to 70 kWh get a 35-percent discount. Those who consume 71 to 100 kWh are entitled to a 20-percent discount.

Maynilad, which serves the west zone, said its customers will only receive one printed water bill for the months of March to June, and the readings in that bill would have been adjusted to reflect their actual consumption.

The total actual consumption is computed by subtracting a customer’s February meter reading from the actual meter reading in June.

This was divided by four months to arrive at the monthly consumption from March to June, with each month billed separately based on the current tariff rate.

All bill payments made during the enhanced community quarantine would already have been subtracted from the total amount due in the bill.

Maynilad customers have been granted an extended grace period to settle their water bills that have accumulated during the lockdown.

Lifeline customers (those who consume 10 cubic meters per month or less) have until Aug. 31 to pay, while non-lifeline customers (those who consume more than 10 cubic meters per month) have until July 31 to pay.

“Our customers can pay their accumulated bills in several installments within the extended grace period granted,” Maynilad said in a statement.

In the areas where the enhanced community quarantine is still being enforced, the June 2020 water bill will be based on a customer’s average consumption in the three months before the lockdown.

Adjustments will just be made in the succeeding bills once the actual meter reading resumes in those areas.

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