Groups oppose tax impose on ground water extraction

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — The Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI), the Dumaguete City Water District (DCWD), the Negros Oriental Water Districts Association and Silliman University have aired vehement objection against what they considered a tax imposition instead of an ordinance regulating the utilization of ground water in this city.

NOCCI president Ed Du said the official stand of the businessmen, reached during a general assembly conducted for this particular issue, was to support pronouncements of the water district that they will have no other recourse, if the proposed ordinance is approved, but to pass on the added costs to the consumers.

Du said businessmen were for the protection of the environment and the preservation of the city’s ground water, but not through tax imposition, because there are a number of ways to do it, such as limiting the pipes for extraction, and the like.

With the proposed extraction fee, it would appear that it would be more costly to extract water from deep wells than what is collected by DCWD per cubic meter of water consumption, according to the businessman.

Earlier, DCWD manager Esperatu Dicen said the proposed ordinance would not exempt the water district from paying the extraction fees. As indicated in Section 17, hotels, hospitals, schools, and other business establishments, including residential buildings, are subjected to additional monthly fees for ground water extraction.

Since DCWD itself is extracting 910,000 cubic meters of water monthly from 17 deep wells all over the city, it now stands to lose P27.3 million, if it will pay P30 per cu. m. in extraction fee.

Dicen felt sad in stressing he could not afford to pass this on to water consumers of the city. At 25,000 water consumers, the additional cost would mean a monthly minimum water bill of P1,230 per consumer.

The proposed ordinance was sponsored by Vice Mayor Alan Cordova, and Councilors Joe Kenneth Arbas, Albert Aquino and Manuel Arbon. They contended that water is a limited resource and, as a basic need of man, must be conserved and used efficiently to sustain its supply for the future.

Indiscriminate drilling and excavation of wells, unregulated use and uncontrolled extraction of ground water would dry up scarce water sources and destroy the environment resulting in contamination by toxic or hazardous materials, seepage and chemical residues and land subsidence, the sponsors said.

Experts said unabated water withdrawal could be a principal factor for the sinking of Dumaguete City, prompting the City Council to enact legislation that would complement, support and enhance national laws on the rationalization and regulation of the use, conservation, development and protection of scarce water resources. (FREEMAN)