|
By Thom F. Picaña Correspondent
BAGUIO CITY: The supply of water has long been a
problem of this mountain resort city. While it is not about to end,
residents will have to contend with having to pay even more for so
much less water for now and the next five years.
The semigovernment water utilities here are to
start its five-year increase in the cost of water this month. The
Baguio Water District (BWD) will be imposing a minimum increase of
5.9 percent to as high as 26.67 percent in the first round of
increases, which will take effect every year until 2012.
BWD had no choice but to impose the increases as
it faces inflation and the need to meet a monthly obligation of at
least P7 million to pay a multimillion loan with the Australian
government.
The 5.9-percent increase that would see a P15.90
mark up in the monthly billing will affect some 20,073 of the
district’s 29,500 consumers, said BWD General Manager Teresita de
Guzman during the district’s public hearing conducted on May 9 at
the Lions Club. She made clear the BWD is seeking “the consumers’understanding
in the implementation of the increases.”
“It is OK if you increase the rate as long as
you provide a better service,” said one consumer after the BWD
presentation, which noted how the said increases for the next five
years will allow it to pay off a P700-million loan for its systems
upgrade, as well as additional power costs, among others.
The upgrade should mean continued water supply
unlike the present set-up where many households get water on a
scheduled basis.
A consumer’s bill this month will only reflect
the full amount as payment for the minimum 10 cubic meters and with
the burdensome Power Cost Adjustment deleted from the piece of paper
that would show a client’s monthly consumption.
De Guzman said that connections with two or more
families or residence B would pay at least 11.12 percent more from
P331.30 to P368.14 or an increase of P36.84.
A connection classified as residence C would pay
P47.30 more for a 10-cubic-meter consumption or a 13.22-percent
increase, from P357.65 to P404.95.
Hotels and inns classified as commercial A will
pay close to a P100 minimum, or 20.96 percent more from P489.40 to
P589.00, while schools, private offices will have the biggest mark
up of 26.67 percent as minimum payment of P441.76, from P324.00, or
a P117.76 increase.
The rate increase said de Guzman would
“stabilize BWD from inflation and continue its viability.”
It will take BWD at least two years to transfer
its connection from the main pipe to consumers using a new pipe
systems that will service 15,000 connections by Year 2010, explained
de Guzman. While she did not mention how much BWD will be saving
with this upgrade, she claimed that BWD will produce 55,000 cubic
meters of water daily, of which some 32,000 cubic meters will be
delivered using the old system.
Rep. Mauricio Domogan of Baguio sees the
P700-million systems rehabilitation program as a white elephant as
he said that it was a “mistake that consumers will have to pay for
now,” insisting that even if the system were state of the art, the
demand for water will still be there.
|
