Manila Water, Maynilad Customers to See Higher Water Tariffs in Q4

Customers of Manila Water Company Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. will face higher tariffs in the fourth quarter of the year after the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) approved increases in their foreign currency differential adjustment (FCDA). Starting October, east zone concessionaire Manila Water will increase the FCDA tariff by P0.08 per cubic meter (cu.m) to P0.46. The adjustment will translate to monthly increases of P0.34 for customers consuming 10 cu.m. or less, P0.75 for those using 20 cu.m., and P1.53 for those consuming 30 cu.m. Razon-led Manila Water has the exclusive right to provide water and used water services to the east zone of MWSS' franchise area, which services 23 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila and Rizal. These include Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Marikina, and parts of Quezon City and Manila. The towns of Angono, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Cardona, Jalajala, Morong, Pililia, Rodriguez, Tanay, Taytay, Teresa, San Mateo and Antipolo in the province of Rizal are also part of the east zone. West zone concessionaire Maynilad, on the other hand, will raise its tariff by an average of P0.24 per cu.m., resulting in monthly increases of P0.67 for customers consuming 10 cu.m. or less, P2.54 for those using 20 cu.m., and P5.19 for those consuming 30 cu.m. Maynilad currently serves customers in the west zone, which covers the cities of Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Valenzuela, and Quezon City. It also serves certain areas in Cavite such as the cities of Bacoor, Cavite, and Imus; and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario. The FCDA is a quarterly reviewed tariff mechanism that allows concessionaires to recover losses or realize gains from foreign exchange rate fluctuations, as payments are made on foreign-currency-denominated loans used to fund their expansions. "It is a corrective mechanism formulated by the MWSS RO to avoid under-recovery or over-recovery caused by forex movements," MWSS chief regulator Patrick Lester Ty said in a statement. The Philippine peso has hit 23 record lows so far this year, with the latest at P62.625:$1 on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. — VDV, GMA News