Municipal officials are reportedly considering a takeover of the Baras Water District after it failed to convince the management and the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to lower the P200 minimum charge to a more affordable rate.
This possibility is being floated at the municipal hall in view of widespread opposition to the collection of the fee, which is a 400 percent increase from the previous P40 last September 2025.
Last April 30, 2026, Mayor Jose Paolo Teves III approved a protest rally to be held by some of the 1,500 concessionaires in front of the BWAD office.
In a statement issued on the same day, the local chief executive said that all possible remedies were undertaken by his office, including proper coordination with the Board of Directors, to reconsider the abrupt increase in water rates.
He added that a meeting was held with the LWUA Administrator, who assured that technical personnel would be deployed to recompute and review the rates submitted by the BOD.
“However, despite follow-ups made by the Office of the Mayor, said personnel were not dispatched,” Teves lamented.
He noted that after nearly six months of implementation of the increased rates, the water district has remained hesitant to address and hear the grievances of the concessionaires, particularly in the light of ongoing difficulties being experienced by the people of Baras.
The rally, he said, would provide them with an avenue to collectively express their concerns and grievances directly in the presence of the management.
Among the placards brought by the rallyists were several calling for the replacement of the manager and the board as well as the return of management to the municipal government.
Likewise, they complained about the poor quality of services, including dirty water, irregular supply and lack of proper communication with the public.
The protesters also criticized the immediate disconnection of supply of those who failed to pay their water bills as well as the removal of water meters which have been paid for by the concessionaire.
Vice Mayor Rico Tating and several members of the Sangguniang Bayan were present during the rally to lend their support.
Although BWAD officials opted not to directly confront the rallyists, they later allowed members of the local media into the office for an interview.
BOD Vice Chairman Arlene Anonuevo blamed the current situation on the unpaid P25 million in loans secured by the district from LWUA in 2009 for its initial operation.
While the balance has been reduced to P17 million, she said that the district is mandated to pay P88,000 in monthly amortizations for 25 years to LWUA pursuant to an agreement signed this March 2026.
Only LWUA can resolve the issue, she stressed.
For her part, General Manager Emily Colinares, a former staffer of the mayor’s office, said that the P200 minimum fee is less than five percent of the P13,459.69 average monthly family income of low-income groups used as affordability basis.
The P200 minimum charge will remain for 10 years based on LWUA’s projection, with the collected revenue to go to the construction of a filtration system costing between P10 million to P30 million, expansion and maintenance projects, wages and hiring of new employees.
Colinares also blamed incorrect information and wrong computations being spread around to sow confusion among the public, political influence and interest in the positions in management.
She confirmed that only 52 concessionaires attended the public hearing on the new water rates but insisted that the validity of the hearing does not depend on the number of attendees as it underwent a process including publication and coordination with the LGU.