Hiraya Water Corporation, formerly PrimeWater, said it aims to improve water service reliability in Angeles City by December through new deep wells, pipe replacements and upgrades to its treatment facilities, following consumer complaints over recurring water interruptions, weak pressure and water quality.
The company responded to questions from this reporter who sought it comment after residents raised concerns over inconsistent water supply and billing, prompting the Angeles City Council to consider a legislative inquiry.
Angeles City Water District general manager Guy Lopez said Hiraya Water has operated under its new corporate name since May.
Branch manager Lodee Guanlao attributed some service issues to infrastructure challenges, including service lines extending 50 to 100 meters from main pipelines in some communities and illegal connections that affect water distribution.
Guanlao said the company investigates reported complaints that are found to be valid and continues to coordinate with local government agencies while informing consumers of scheduled interruptions and maintenance through its official social media pages.
To improve supply, Guanlao said Hiraya Water is developing four new deep wells to inaugurate this year. Guanlao said they target a total of six new water sources by yearend. The company is also rehabilitating water treatment facilities, installing additional filtration systems, and replacing aging pipelines to reduce water losses, costs that he said are being absorbed by the company.
‘We target December this year. The deep wells will boost additional water supply, and together with total pipe replacements, consumers should begin seeing improvements,’ Guanlao said in an interview on Wednesday.
On water quality, Guanlao said the utility conducts daily and monthly monitoring of chlorine residuals and physical, chemical and bacteriological parameters through its own laboratory and monitoring team. He added that the company issues certificates of water potability and said the Angeles City Health Office has also posted potability certifications.
He acknowledged elevated iron and manganese levels remain a challenge in some areas beyond the Abacan Bridge but said the company is addressing the issue through new treatment and filtration projects, routine flushing and other mitigation measures.
Guanlao said the utility estimates about 1 percent of its roughly over 60,000 consumers are affected by persistent service issues.
‘Even if it’s only around 600 consumers, we will still fix those problems,’ she said.
Hiraya Water is one of several water service providers operating in Angeles City. The ten other water utility companies each serving different areas within the city include: Balibago Waterworks System Inc.
Teresa Waterworks Inc.
Calsons Waterworks
Villages Water
BP Waterworks
Taguete Waterworks
Trilan Waterworks
Lago Waterworks
Leoncia Waterworks
Neplum Waterworks
Asked about complaints from residents who said they continue receiving water bills despite prolonged interruptions or weak water pressure, company officials said billing practices continue to follow the Angeles City Water District’s Citizens Charter.
Lopez said the company remains committed to improve service.
‘We are aware of the challenges and we are doing our best to improve these services,’ Lopez said. ‘We will continue to drill more wells if needed to make sure people benefit from these developments.’
Meanwhile, the Angeles City Council is considering additional consumer protection measures for utility customers.
During a committee hearing Wednesday, Councilor Maricel Morales proposed an ordinance that would require utility providers, including the Angeles Electric Corp., to provide at least 30 days’ notice before implementing rate increases or tariff adjustments.
The proposal would also require monthly water quality reports, independent water sampling by the City Health Office, prohibit ‘air billing,’ require immediate inspection of disputed water meters, and bar utility disconnections on Fridays, weekends and holidays or while billing disputes are pending.
Under the proposed measure, water concessionaires would also be required to provide free water tanker services if interruptions last more than 12 hours. The ordinance also seeks to establish a Utility Consumer Welfare Trust Fund to support water quality testing, engineering audits and emergency water distribution, while imposing administrative penalties on violators.