Maynilad cuts off service to Smokey Mountain

Maynilad Water has cut off water service to Smokey Mountain in Manila due to the community’s unpaid water bills incurred since February last year, amounting to P8.6 million.

Maynilad said the Smokey Mountain Community Association Inc. (SMCAI), which manages the Paradise Heights community, has been unable to settle arrears despite an agreement with the water company for partial payments.

Antonio Uy, manager of Maynilad’s Tondo Business Center, said that during a meeting with the firm last Jan. 3, the SMCAI agreed to initially pay 30 percent of its unpaid water bills and the current bill.

In another meeting last March 15, SMCAI asked Maynilad to defer its water service disconnection until March 31.

"SMCAI officials were supposed to provide Maynilad with a proposed payment scheme that would make it easier for the community to settle it arrears. The failure of SMCAI officials to do so has forced Maynilad to officially cut off water service to the area on April 3," Uy noted.

Maynilad has been charging SMCAI through a bulk-selling scheme, wherein SMCAI collects water bill payments from each building and remits these to Maynilad.

Meanwhile, barangay officials said contingency measures are being drawn up to provide continuous water supply to an estimated 15,000 residents of SMCAI.

Barangay councilor Patricia Regular, of Barangay 129 Zone 11 said she would be meeting with chairman Teodoro Radiel to discuss water rationing plans.

"I would be meeting with our barangay chairman to discuss the problem and how we can further help these residents," Regular said.

She said that while there were alternative sources of water available to residents of the SMCAI community, they would want to plan the orderly distribution of water.

At present, the water tank and the public faucet from the "Patubig" program of President Arroyo serves as an alternative source.

They have assigned members of the barangay security force to man the long queue at the public faucet to ensure that the order is maintained.

"The lines are longer now," Regular said.