The 30 percent water rate hike will start to reflect in the August billing according to an official of the Davao City Water District (DCWD).
Recently, DCWD announced that it is implementing the water rate adjustment of 30 percent starting this month wherein the minimum charge before the adjustment is at P137.30, and with the 30 percent adjustment is now at P178.50.
“To get the picture of how the 30 percent adjustment would affect our customers let’s just use ang kadtong residential connection with one half inch size connection, mao ni ang pinaka daghan nga service connection. From the minimum charge which is the first 10 cubic meter na konsumo sa atoang mga customers the minimum charge prior the adjustment is at P137.30 with the 30 percent adjustment mahimo ni siyang P178.50,” said Jovana Cresta T. Duhaylungsod, deputy spokesperson of DCWD, during Wednesdays Habi at Kape media forum.
Davao City’s water supply distributor has filed for a 60 percent rate increase, which it plans to implement over three years.
“We conducted a public hearing last year as part of our information dissemination to notify our customers. On that public forum we explained that the DCWD needs 60 percent adjustment,” she said.
The rate adjustments will be implemented in tranches.
“But seeing the effects of Covid-19 and the recent inflation and the increase in prices instead of implementing the 60 percent one-time, we devised a strategy to cushion the effects ani na adjustment sa atoang mga customers by implementing the 60 percent in tranches. That is why for this year, only 30 percent of the 60 percent lang sa ang atoang i-implement,” Duhaylungsod said.
Duhaylungsod said the rate adjustment is necessary for DCWD to generate funds for service area expansion and keep up with public and private infrastructure developments in the next 10 years.
“So that we can continue our operations and services as well as our expansions and programs,” she said.
