Today is Monday, September 29, 2008





Cong. Gonzales pushes for MWSS to prescribe new level of tariff rate for government buildings.

Mandaluyong City Representative Neptali M. Gonzales II filed a Congress Resolution urging the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to prescribe a new level of tariff rate for government buildings and non-revenue facilities performing vital frontline social services.

This is on the premise that public institutions such as public schools, hospitals and health centers, police stations and jails, courtrooms and others, are essentially public service and not revenue-generating facilities, and yet are billed by the MWSS as business users. For a long time now, there are only four classifications of users with prescribed rates: residential, semi-business, business and industrial users.

Gonzales contends that these public institutions and non-revenue facilities on the “frontline of government service ensuring the delivery of vital services in the fields of education, peace and order and public safety, health care delivery, and overall governance should not be billed on a business rate.”

He said a substantial portion of resources of these facilities have to be allocated to meet obligations with utility companies, such as the water company. He added that should there be a special classification for non-revenue public facilities, reallocation of resources can be achieved to further translate to greater social benefits for everyone.

“If we don’t have to pay so much for our water bills, we can channel our resources towards improving our other vital functions,” Gonzales explained. “I personally feel that our city jails, police stations and other public institutions should not be taken as business users of the water resource.”

“This resolution strongly urge the MWSS to prescribe a new level of tariff rate for these institutions, taking into account the vital functions they exercise in the delivery of badly needed, yet non-revenue social services,” he said.

If adopted by the House, Gonzales hopes the MWSS will look into the merits of his proposal. After all, it is the general public who stand to gain from this resolution. (30)

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