A CEBU City councilor is seeking refunds or bill credits for Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) consumers who paid minimum charges despite receiving little or no water for prolonged periods.
Councilor Harold Go said a Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) policy bars water districts from collecting minimum charges when service interruptions reach at least 15 days.
Go raised the issue Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, after receiving complaints from residents who were billed despite going without water for weeks. Many cases involved outages following typhoon Tino in November 2025.
He said MCWD had initially maintained that its minimum charge was fixed under existing policy after he asked that the fee be waived for affected consumers.
“I was not satisfied with that answer because there is a higher law. You cannot charge for services not rendered. That is unfair. Their policy is not the law,” Go said.
LWUA policy
Go said LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga later gave him a copy of Memorandum Circular 9, dated Dec. 22, 2025, or the “Guidelines for Local Water Districts Regarding Water Supply Interruptions.” It states that a local water district or its joint venture partner cannot impose or collect a minimum charge if it fails to supply water for at least 15 days.
The interruption may be continuous or intermittent, as long as the total reaches 15 days within one month or 15 consecutive days within two months.
Consumers affected by such interruptions also cannot be disconnected for nonpayment during the affected billing period.
Bill credits
Go later met with MCWD Chairman Ruben Almendras and other officials and presented the guidelines.
According to Go, MCWD confirmed receiving the circular and said it would comply, including removing minimum charges for consumers who received no water for at least 15 days.
Almendras said many complaints stemmed from typhoon Tino, when MCWD took nearly a month to restore service in some areas.
Go is seeking the return of charges already collected from qualified consumers.
“We asked MCWD if these charges can be refunded. Most likely, they will be credited to consumers’ bills rather than refunded in cash,” he said.
Go said qualified consumers should not have been charged the P235.60 minimum water fee.
Zero use
A billing invoice reviewed by Go showed zero consumption for the January 2026 billing period but a P235.60 minimum charge.
The invoice covered meter readings from Dec. 16, 2025, to Jan. 15, 2026. The meter remained at 229, while consumption was recorded at zero.
A P5.23 franchise tax brought total sales to P240.83. After an advance payment adjustment, the amount due was P240.75.
The invoice did not state the duration or reason for any water interruption.
Under the circular, water districts must keep records of interruptions, make them available to affected customers or LWUA, and submit a written report and action plan when service is unavailable for three consecutive days.
They must also notify consumers of scheduled or unscheduled interruptions and state the expected duration and reason.
Consumer notice
The City Council has passed a resolution urging MCWD to inform consumers about the LWUA rules, particularly provisions covering prolonged interruptions and minimum charges.
The resolution calls for dissemination through MCWD’s website, social media accounts, billing statements, customer service offices and public advisories.
Go said consumers must know their rights when they are billed despite not receiving water.
“Consumers have the right to know the protections available to them, especially when there is no actual water supply. It is not enough to have a policy, the people it protects must also know about it,” he said in Cebuano.
Go said he would continue monitoring MCWD’s implementation of the policy and its handling of consumers who may qualify for bill adjustments. /CAV