MANILA — Customers of Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Company Inc. will see higher water bills starting October 1 after the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) approved fourth-quarter rate adjustments for both concessionaires.

The increases are due to the Foreign Currency Differential Adjustment (FCDA), a mechanism reviewed quarterly to account for gains or losses caused by movements in foreign exchange rates.

For Maynilad residential customers, the additional monthly charges will be:

• ₱0.67 for households consuming 10 cubic meters or less
• ₱2.54 for those consuming 20 cubic meters
• ₱5.19 for those consuming 30 cubic meters

Qualified beneficiaries under the enhanced lifeline program, including members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), will be exempt from the adjustment.

Maynilad serves the West Concession Area.

For Manila Water customers, the approved increases are:

• ₱0.34 for consumption of 10 cubic meters or less
• ₱0.75 for 20 cubic meters
• ₱1.53 for 30 cubic meters

Low-income households covered by Manila Water’s enhanced lifeline program will also be exempt from the rate adjustment.

Manila Water serves the East Concession Area.

MWSS Regulatory Office Chief Regulator Patrick Lester Ty said the MWSS Board of Trustees approved the implementation of the new FCDA rates beginning in the fourth quarter of 2026 after validating the concessionaires’ proposals.

The FCDA allows water concessionaires to recover foreign exchange losses or return gains resulting from fluctuations in the value of the peso against foreign currencies.

“It is a corrective mechanism formulated by the MWSS RO to avoid under-recovery or over-recovery caused by forex movements,” Ty said.

The new rates will take effect on October 1, 2026.

‍