MAYNILAD Water Services Inc. on Tuesday said it would comply with a Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System-Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) order directing the firm to pay customers a total of P54.283 million for service interruptions in March.
“Maynilad acknowledges and will comply with the decision of the MWSS-RO on imposing a financial penalty in connection with water service interruptions that affected portions of the southern part of our concession area in March,” the company said in a statement.
It said the penalty “will be given as rebates to the affected accounts through credits applied to their water bills.”
“These interruptions were associated with more prolonged and challenging variability in raw water quality in Laguna Lake during the Amihan season, which required sustained operational adjustments at our treatment facilities to ensure compliance with the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water. These conditions resulted in reduced production levels over the period,” Maynilad explained.
“We note that the challenges affecting raw water conditions persisted longer than initially anticipated,” it said, noting that it has been implementing additional operational and network measures to help stabilize supply and improve service reliability in the affected areas.
“We will also work closely with the MWSS-RO in the implementation of the rebate program for affected customers and in providing the necessary information through the scheduled public information drive,” Maynilad continued.
The MWSS-RO ordered Maynilad on Monday to pay bill rebates to 165,518 customers who suffered water service interruptions due to operational problems at Maynilad’s Putatan and Poblacion Water treatment facilities last month.
The regulator said the water interruptions constituted a failure by Maynilad to meet its service obligation on water availability and directed the company to refund P327.96 per affected water service connection, to be reflected in the May billing period.
Maynilad shares on Tuesday added P0.60, or 2.85 percent, to close at P21.65 each.
