SC ruling on sewerage projects to negatively affect consumers

The Supreme Court (SC) order that requires Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Manila Water Company, Inc. to finish their sewerage projects soonest and pay a daily fine of 1322,102 until full compliance may backfire on the consumers, an advocacy group said.

Bantay Konsumer, Kalsada, Kuryente (BK3) said in a statement that in order for these companies to be able to comply with the order, they should conduct massive, simultaneous digging, which could result to horrible traffic.

"The two concessionaires have no choice but to comply with the order issued last August. And that means the public will suffer even more with nightmare traffic," said BK3 Convenor Louie Montemar.

"This same Supreme Court ruling will also increase water rates by as much as 116 more per cubic meter because of the hundreds of billions of pesos needed to finish the projects. So we, the consumers, will get a double whammy," he added.

Montemar was particularly referring to the new order that reversed an earlier ruling allowing the concessionaires to finish their sewerage projects until 2037, or over 18 years, instead of just five years.

The new ruling said the concessionaires are in violation of Sec. 8 of the Clean Water Act, which required them to connect all existing sewer lines of households, subdivisions and establishments by 2009, or five years from the time the law took effect.

For failing to comply, the concessionaires were fined almost 11 billion each, representing the daily fines from 2009 to August 2019.