Capitol has succeeded in spreading to 60 months the Bohol Water Utilities, Inc. (BWUI)retroactive rate increase differential, thereby easing the burden on the great bulk of consumers starting next month. This means a dramatic reduction in the differential added to the regular monthly billing and a financial relief to consumers who have less capacity to pay. This is advantageous to the BWUI clients in this province’s capital city and nearby localities who must keep paying the uncollected retroactive rate hike within just 18 months in addition to the monthly billings if not for the steel lobby of Gov. Edgar Chatto. The governor fought to modify the payment term from within a very tight span to a longer period of significantly lesser monthly instalments without interest to lighten the burden of paying the increase. Chatto’s successful move convincing the joint venture water firm to equally divide the increase differential in five years instead of just one and a half year was supported by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) led by Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim.

In its meeting last January 20, the BWUI board approved the 60-month adjustment which will take effect in the March-dated billing for February water consumption. This was confirmed by BWUI General Manager Romeo Robles and Operations Manager Felix Sonido in separate interviews. Both said the 60-month leeway will be enjoyed by those who consume less than 30 cubic meters of water per month. This bracket of consumers constitutes some 65% of the BWUI clients, according to Sonido. While even the Boholanos abroad have recognized the joint provincial government - private sector partnership in improving to an unprecedented degree the water service here, Chatto said it is fulfilling to exercise social responsibility on an intent at its purest.

The BWUI executives said the remaining 35% of the BWUI consumers who use over 30 cubic meters of water per month have to stay paying the retroactive rate differential in 18 months. But even if the said consumers have the capability to pay, it was also agreed in the meeting of the governor and BWUI officials that the above term will not prejudice those who negotiate with the management on extension of instalment payment. Payment term can be stretched to 24 or 36 months, as the case may be. The BWUI board likewise approved this in its January 20 meeting. Further as a result of capitol’s strong lobby with the BWUI management, the foremost water provider here agreed on discounted payment for consumers who pay their differential billings in advance. In fact, several consumers already availed of the discount by paying fully in advance, Sonido said.

The water rate increase would have long been imposed starting in September 2006 when it was approved by the National Water Regulatory Board (NWRB). A city opposition, however, caused a temporary restraining order (TRO), until the Court of Appeals (CA) reaffirmed the NWRB approval in January 2010. In spite of the CA verdict, the BWUI implemented the retroactive new rate beginning the July 2011 billing for the water consumption in June of the same year, Sonido said. The consuming public would not have suffered from sudden heavy monthly billings as an effect of the retroactive increase differential being made as an add-on payment if not for the TRO resulting from the city hall case against the BWUI. Observers noted that based on their monitoring of the case, city hall seemed insincere in its supposed “pro-people” position. They further noted that the city administration raised the case intriguingly in times for the elections in 2007 and 2010. At capitol in June 2011, Chatto quickly wrote and expressed to the BWUI management his total disagreement to the collection of the retroactive accounts, much less the payment of the increase differential in just 18 months, effective the same period. A provincial board resolution thus followed in support of the governor’s stance.

GROWING DEMAND

The BWUI heeded to capitol’s call for lighter term of retroactive rate payment as water demand has more than doubled. The BWUI records show that water demand here, substantially in Tagbilaran City, was only 7,792 cubic meters a day in 2000 compared to 15,908 cubic meters daily in 2011. The company, which is a joint venture of the province and private firm Salcon, only produced 10,822 cubic meters of water when it assumed the severely-inefficient and heavily-losing water arm of the now dissolved Provincial Public Utilities Department (PPUD). The BWUI presently produces 20,660 cubic meters of water daily. It has a system capacity now of 23,580 cubic meters of water per day from only 11,966 cubic meters 11 years ago. The joint venture firm has hugely reduced the system loss, which incurred cost is passed on to the consumers as an industry practice, by even more than half from 49.65% to 20.67% now. The BWUI is rehabilitating and expanding the lines from San Isidro to Taloto passing FCB to the area near the Victoria Memorial Park. City residents, including those who remain poorly served by the city government’s waterworks system, have acknowledged the amazing improvement of the water supply and service in greater areas covered by the BWUI. (Ven rebo Arigo)