Sorry, yet allowed’s not talk about a reimbursement just yet.
The president of Manila Water Co. said sorry to the general public on Monday, stating he was taking full responsibility for City Manila’s water issues, as he, in addition to water supply officials as well as various other stakeholders, faced an aggressive Home panel.
But Ferdinand dela Cruz, also Manila Water’s ceo, was silent on his company’s determination to refund thousands of inconvenienced consumers in the eastern market, where several families had actually either been experiencing no water or low tide stress since March 6.
” I am holding myself liable for the sudden drop in our solution degree to your constituents that we have offered for 21 years,” a contrite Dela Cruz informed your home City Manila growth board.
” March 6, 2019, is a date I will not forget as Manila Water president. I know the suffering your constituents have actually suffered, whether they be abundant or bad,” he claimed.
Dela Cruz’s words attracted praise from a number of Home leaders, who assured him the hearing was not planned to place Manila Water in the spot.
” We really did not call this hearing to appoint blame on anybody,” Bulk Leader Fredenil Castro stated. “We assure you that the very objective is to go to the bottom of the situation, study it and avoid it from occurring once again,” he claimed.
Resign
However that did not quit antagonistic questions guided by other legislators at Dela Cruz on whether he would be stepping down or if his business would certainly be reimbursing consumers for its drawbacks.
” When are you surrendering?” asked Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay party-list.
The executive responded: “As I have actually claimed, I’m taking accountability wherefore happened. I am prepared to resign for falling short consumers, however my focus right now is recovering service.”
Moments later on, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate asked Dela Cruz if customers that had had no water for the past few days would still be needed to spend for the days when there was no water pouring from the tap.
” They will certainly still pay a minimum amount,” the CEO admitted.
” Even if there’s no water pouring out … currently my question: Will you reimburse customers?” Zarate asked.
No refund
” There’s no conversation yet on that particular since our emphasis is remediation of the service,” Dela Cruz claimed.
” Are you willing to reimburse even if there’s no conversation yet?” the congressman pushed him.
Dela Cruz responded: “We will certainly follow the suggested process of MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and also Sewage System) as a regulative office.”
An irate Zarate reprimanded him: “Right here you are now stating sorry, yet it’s pure inexperience [on your part]”.
Patrick Ty, MWSS chief regulator, similarly endured a skewering from legislators, as he addressed questions on whether the agency can penalize the water concessionaires for their failure to offer consumers according to the regards to the giving in contract.
No penalty, fine.
Ty claimed the offer struck in 1997, when water services in Metro Manila were privatized, had no stipulations on “fines as well as charges” for either Manila Water or Maynilad Water Providers Inc., which services the western sector of Metro Manila.
He suggested that his office had actually been promoting brand-new regulations to provide it much more teeth to pursue the concessionaires.
Yet his claim was challenged by legislators after Dela Cruz claimed there was really a system for Manila Water to be punished.
” The penalty will be in the kind of the expenditures we will use to repair this trouble which we will not be enabled to recoup this” by billing consumers, Dela Cruz said.
At that point, Ty, in addition to the various other source persons, was asked to take a vow on the reality of his testimony, as the board chair, Rep. Winston Castelo of Quezon City, shared qualms concerning the authorities’s sincerity.
‘ Inutile’ regulator.
Zarate stated that given that Manila Water was apparently “ready to pay charges,” it was clear that the “regulatory authority is the trouble.”.
” You allow yourselves to be inutile as regulator at the cost of consumers,” he said.
Asked if he would step down, Ty claimed: “We inherited this problem and we are prepared to face this.”.
Towards completion of the hearing, Marikina Rep. Bayani Fernando stated Dela Cruz, having actually owned up to his mistakes, need to take the effort of refunding consumers, thinking about “you have actually admitted you’re at fault.”.
Fernando, nevertheless, went easy on the executive, saying he must not surrender, having actually earned the former’s appreciation for saying sorry to the general public.
Dela Cruz recalled the occasions that led to water rationing in large swaths of its solution area.
La Mesa reserve
On March 6, the La Mesa get breached the critical level of 69 meters, avoiding Manila Water from obtaining 150 million liters per day (MLD) from the dam, as the water level “went below the most affordable opening it could move into to reach our water treatment plants in Balara.”.
Without the additional 150 MLD, “we can not completely offer the peak need at sufficient pressure,” he said.
Dela Cruz claimed Manila Water had contingency procedures to connect the shortage, such as taking water from Laguna Lake with the Cardona water therapy plant, reactivating deep wells, and also developing new deep well sources.
Manila Water earlier said the plant in Cardona, Rizal province, that would certainly filter water from Laguna Lake had yet to be turned on.
What went wrong?
When advisories were released about La Mesa’s declining water levels, people in both influenced as well as untouched locations began storing water to plan for the water disruption, Dela Cruz stated.
” This uncertain demand account distressed the intended re-filling schedules of our 28 network storage tanks as well as stressed our 20 pumping terminals,” he claimed.
