THE Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) implemented a 12 percent water rate increase effective Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. This is the second adjustment consumers have faced this year, and it has drawn public criticism from residents who say their water supply remains unreliable, intermittent and insufficient for their daily needs.
CONTRASTING VIEWS. The core of the issue lies in the disconnect between the price consumers are asked to pay and the quality of service they receive.
What consumers are saying: Many residents feel the rate hike is premature and unjustified. During SunStar Cebu’s online news and commentary program, Beyond the Headlines, listeners voiced their frustrations, explaining that they still face rotational schedules and weak water pressure. They urged MCWD to first improve its services, including ensuring a steady, round-the-clock flow. Some consumers reported having to stay up late or wake up at dawn just to store water because pressure is too low during the day.
A consumer from Barangay Kamputhaw in Cebu City said she was unhappy with the “sudden increase,” noting her family still has to wake up early to store water despite paying an average of P500 a month. A resident of Barangay Banilad in Mandaue City expressed concern over the financial strain, explaining that his September bill was already P238. He feared it could climb to almost P300 with the new hike, a significant jump from the P190 he paid before a provisional increase in March 2025.
How MCWD is responding: MCWD spokesperson Minerva Gerodias acknowledged the supply challenges. She explained that the utility’s current production of 320,000 cubic meters per day is barely enough to cover half of Metro Cebu’s estimated demand of 600,000 to 700,000 cubic meters. “We are still catching up,” Gerodias said, pointing to non-revenue water losses from leaks, pilferage and firefighting as contributing factors.
She defended the rate hike as essential for funding long-term solutions. The revenue, she explained, will be used for pipe rehabilitation, developing new water sources and expanding the service network to previously unserved mountain barangays such as Busay, Pulangbato, Agsungot and Guba.
“With the 12 percent increase, we will have more resources for pipeline renewal and expansion,” Gerodias said. “Our target is to cover 60 percent of Metro Cebu’s total demand in 10 years.”
THE BACKSTORY. While consumers see this as a second rate hike in 2025, MCWD frames it as part of a longer, delayed process. The utility first applied for an adjustment in 2022, which itself was a postponement of a 2020 petition that was deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) approved a provisional increase in March 2025, while the main application was under review.
Gerodias said that utilities are entitled to rate adjustments every five years to sustain their operations. She added that during a public hearing in 2022, there was “no adverse reaction” to the proposal, but MCWD was urged to improve its services.
THE BOTTLENECK. A critical issue undermining public confidence is a major project that has stalled despite its potential to add significant supply. A desalination plant in Cordova, operated by Vivant, is ready and capable of producing 20,000 cubic meters of water daily. However, this water cannot reach homes because MCWD lacks the pipeline infrastructure to distribute it.
Gerodias confirmed the plant remains idle because the existing pipelines in Lapu-Lapu City are too small and outdated to absorb the new supply. MCWD had already awarded pipelaying projects, but the work has been delayed because contractors “failed to secure permits from the Lapu-Lapu City Government.”
This administrative bottleneck means a substantial volume of desperately needed water remains untapped, with no clear timeline for resolution.
WHAT’S NEXT. MCWD will continue collecting the higher water rates while it works on implementing its planned infrastructure upgrades, including the Lusaran bulk water supply project and two other desalination plants.
A crucial next step is to successfully coordinate with the Lapu-Lapu City Government to resolve the permit issues and finally bring the 20,000 cubic meters from the Cordova plant online. For consumers, the focus will be on whether they begin to see tangible improvements in water pressure and availability, which will ultimately determine if the price hike is seen as a necessary investment or an unfair burden. Meanwhile, expansion to island barangays like Olango and Gilutongan remains on the distant horizon, with no timeline due to high costs. / EHP