The proposal of the Bacolod City Water District to increase its water rates by 30 percent this year is untimely, Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday said.

Water is very basic, so everybody is going to be affected, he said.

If at all Baciwa has to raise its water rates, it should not be 30 percent, he added. However, he also said, if possible, Baciwa should postpone its proposed rate increase.

Baciwa is proposing to implement the increase starting July 15.

A public hearing on the proposed water rates for 2009-2016 is scheduled on June 9, 2009 at 3 p.m. at the Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Center in Bacolod City.

Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson also said that, if ever Baciwa has to increase its rates, it should be less than 30 percent.

He said the Baciwa officials met with them Monday on their proposal. This is in compliance with the requirement for public hearing, he said.

After the hearing, Baciwa will submit to the Local Water Utilities Administration their petition for rate increase, he added.

Sayson said that, during the meeting, Baciwa justified the need to increase their rates because of projects like upgrading their old water pipes to minimize leakage that has contributed to their losses.

He said Baciwa informed them that they have not increased their rates for a long time and that they have the cheapest rates compared to other cities and municipalities outside Bacolod.

The rate increase being proposed by Baciwa for 2010 is 15 percent, for 2011 – 10 percent, no increases for 2012 and 1013, 10 percent for 2014, 5 percent for 2015 and 10 percent for 2016.

Sayson said there were suggestions that Baciwa should reverse its table and only implement a 10 percent increase this year, considering that the prices of other basic commodities have gone up. “We can not tell if by 2016 the economy will improve,” he said.

The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod will come up with a resolution today on its stand on the issue after discussing it during their session today, Sayson said.

Baciwa general manager Juliana Carbon had earlier said they will only implement the increase after it has been approved by LWUA.

She said they need to implement a rate increase in order to provide better services and to be able to sustain their operations which is dependent on what their consumers pay.

Carbon said they have been absorbing so many costs from 2005 to 2008, citing their implementation of two salary increases mandated by the government, the increase in the prices of fuel and power, and they also started to pay their amortizations to LWUA last year.*CGS

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