Protest actions vs water rate hike set Friday

MANILA, Philippines - Activist groups opposed to the proposed water rate increases will hold whole-day protest actions on Friday.

Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. announced Thursday that the mobilizations would range from sign-up drive to pickets in front of the offices of Manila Water and Maynilad and noise barrage in different parts of Metro Manila.

Reyes said members of their group will be at the Metro Rail Transit-North EDSA station in Quezon City as early as 7 a.m. tomorrow to conduct a sign up drive.

Manila water is seeking a P5.83 per cubic meter increase in its basic charge, while Maynilad is seeking an P8.58 per cubic meter tariff adjustment.

The MWSS Regulatory Office earlier announced that the decision will be finalized in July.

The increase in the basic charge will in turn trigger adjustments in other charges such as the environmental charge and the value added tax on water.

Bayan also renewed its call to government regulators to disclose to the public their business plans and the details of their proposals for the rate increases.

"Up to now, the government regulators have not made public the current proposals submitted to them by the concessionaires. The concessionaires meanwhile have not been forthright  in explaining their planned increases," Reyes said.

"We call on the people to join the various efforts to stop the private concessionaires from squeezing more profits from the people. We call on the people to protest this increase and to protest the Aquino government," he added.

He noted that the public's water woes are rooted in the privatization policy of the government which has allowed the concessionaires to raise their rates every five years and recover every imaginable expense.

"It is high time for the government to reverse this policy. At the very least, we should press Aquino to reject any rate hike,” Reyes said.

Bayan said the impending water rate hike will be met with huge protests at the President Aquino's State of the Nation Address on July 22.