Cebu City dad wants minimum, fixed MCWD charges stopped

Local

AS THOUSANDS of Cebu City residents continue to cope with dry taps weeks after Typhoon Tino struck, a city councilor is calling out what he says is an unfair burden: water bills charged to households that received no water at all.

Councilor Harold Go has filed a resolution urging the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) to stop charging minimum water fees and fixed charges to households with zero recorded water consumption.

Go said this was prompted by a wave of complaints from residents who showed him billing statements indicating zero usage on their water meters but still reflected minimum fees, franchise taxes, and other fixed charges.

“Daghan kaayong reklamo,” Go said. “Zero ang consumption—klaro kaayo sa meter—pero naa gihapon singil.”

According to Go, billing consumers who received no actual water service is fundamentally unfair and runs counter to basic consumer protection principles.

“Dili pwede nga walay tubig, pero naa’y bayad,” he said. “Ang singil, dapat patas ug makatarungan.”

Under the proposed resolution, Go is asking MCWD to review and amend its billing policies and suspend minimum charges during periods when water is not supplied, especially in communities severely affected by prolonged outages after Typhoon Tino.

The measure also urges the water district to ensure that charges are tied directly to services delivered, particularly during emergencies beyond consumers’ control.

Go said residents who have gone weeks without running water should not be penalized financially while waiting for full service restoration.

The billing issue comes amid lingering water shortages across Cebu City more than a month after Typhoon Tino struck on November 4, damaging major pipelines, pumps, and water facilities.

During a privilege speech at the City Council earlier this week, Go described the situation as unacceptable, noting that some barangays and sitios remain dependent on water rationing, tankers, and private donors.

“Tubig ni—dili ni optional service,” Go said. “Water is a basic necessity and a basic right.”

He said many residents still line up daily, sometimes late at night, just to collect enough water for cooking, cleaning, and basic hygiene.

While acknowledging the scale of damage caused by the typhoon, Go raised concerns over what he described as slow and uneven restoration efforts.

He questioned why contractors were not required to work around the clock and why affected communities were not given clearer timelines on service restoration.

Go also flagged governance issues within MCWD, noting that the water district has been operating without a quorum in its board, limiting its ability to pass resolutions, approve contracts, and authorize emergency procurements.

“MCWD does not currently have the minimum number of board members required to legally act,” he said.

He added that the agency has also lacked an approved safety plan for the past three years.

MCWD has previously defended its response to the crisis, saying the damage caused by Typhoon Tino, particularly the destruction of a 2.6-kilometer stretch of the Jaclupan transmission line, was catastrophic and unprecedented.

The water district said emergency measures, including the use of a private supplier’s pipeline, allowed service to be partially restored within about three weeks, despite technical challenges that would normally take months to resolve.

As of posting time, MCWD has yet to issue a specific response to Go’s call to suspend minimum water charges for households with zero consumption.(TGP)