MANILA — Maynilad Water Services Inc. is confronting a fresh financial penalty of P54.28 million imposed by regulators for failing to maintain consistent water supply to over 165,000 customers in its service area.
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS RO) announced the sanction on Monday, citing "prolonged and recurring water service interruptions" in the southern section of Maynilad's west concession zone. The utility, led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, was found to have violated its service commitment to ensure uninterrupted water availability.
"Based on its investigation, the regulator said Maynilad breached its service obligation to ensure the availability of an uninterrupted water supply," the MWSS RO stated.
Affected areas include neighborhoods within the Putatan and Poblacion Water Treatment Plant supply zones, spanning parts of Las Piñas City, Muntinlupa City, Parañaque City, Imus City, and Bacoor City.
The penalty will be administered as customer rebates, with each impacted water service connection receiving P327.96, which will appear on May billing statements.
This latest fine follows a P42.5-million penalty levied against Maynilad in February for similar service disruptions, highlighting ongoing challenges in the utility's operations.
In response, Maynilad acknowledged the regulator's decision but attributed the supply issues to difficult raw water conditions in Laguna Lake during the Amihan season. The company said these conditions forced operational adjustments at its treatment plants, reducing production capacity.
"We note that the challenges affecting raw water conditions persisted longer than initially anticipated. In response, Maynilad has been implementing additional operational and network measures to help stabilize supply and improve service reliability in the affected areas," the company explained.
Maynilad has pledged to cooperate with the MWSS RO in implementing the rebate program while continuing efforts to address the underlying service reliability concerns.