Maynilad News

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What is the Lifeline Rate?

The Lifeline Rate refers to the discounted rate for Residential customers who consume 10 cubic meters (cu.m.) or less per month. Maynilad applies this rate to all Residential and Residential Bulk customers whenever their consumption for the month falls within 10 cu.m. or less

2. Why was the Lifeline Rate amended?

In accordance with its mandate to advance consumer welfare, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System–Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) encouraged Maynilad to provide a higher discount to Residential customers and Residential Bulk accounts who are not only consuming 10 cubic meters (cu. m.) or less per month but are also considered marginalized—i.e., beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act, or customers living below the poverty line, as determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Hence, Maynilad is implementing the Enhanced Lifeline Program beginning January 2024. Under this program, Maynilad will have two types of Lifeline customers:

• Regular Lifeline – Residential and Residential Bulk customers who only consume 10 cu.m. or less per month.
• Low-Income Lifeline – Residential and Residential Bulk customers who only consume 10 cu.m. or less per month and also belong to the marginalized sector

Customers who qualify and apply for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate will enjoy a bigger discount on their water bill compared to Regular Lifeline customers.

3. How much is the amended Lifeline Rate for Maynilad customers?

A discount of around 41% is automatically applied on the Basic Charge of all Maynilad Lifeline customers. But once the Enhanced Lifeline Program is implemented in 2024, the discount for Lifeline customers who qualify and apply for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate will be higher, as they will henceforth be shielded from the effect of succeeding rate rebasing adjustments.

The discount for all Lifeline customers is applied to the Basic Charge. Consequently, the other charges—which are expressed as a percentage of the Basic Charge—shall be adjusted proportionately. The Maintenance Service Charge shall remain the same.

The Senior Citizen discount shall apply on top of the Lifeline Rate for registered Senior Citizen customers consuming 10 cu.m. or less monthly.

4. Who are qualified for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate?

Customers who meet any of the following criteria may apply for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate:

• Household-beneficiaries of Republic Act No. 11310, also known as the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act”
• Customers considered to be living below the poverty threshold set by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), with Certification of Family Income Within the Poverty Threshold issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or the local Social Welfare and Development Office (SWDO)
• Bulk-supplied accounts under housing programs or projects of the government duly certified by the Local Government Unit (LGU) or relevant authorities (e.g., Bagong Lipunan Sites and Services or BLISS, etc.). The homeowner’s association (HOA) should be the one to apply for the discount for these customers.
• Bulk-supplied accounts under low-cost housing programs or projects of the private sector (e.g., Gawad Kalinga villages, Ronald McDonald House Charities communities). The HOA should be the one to apply for the discount for these customers.

Only one Maynilad customer per qualified household can be granted a Low-Income Lifeline Rate. In case there is more than one beneficiary who applied for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate from the same household (i.e., same service connection), only one application will be granted with the Low-Income Lifeline Rate while the remaining application/s will be disapproved.

The Lifeline Rate will only be applied if the water consumption for the month is within the lifeline consumption threshold of 10 cu.m. and below.

5. Who are not qualified for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate?

The following are not qualified to apply for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate:

• Marginalized individual customers who are residing in bulk-supplied communities or accounts, as the application for Lifeline discount for such should be done by the homeowners’ association (HOA)
• Existing customers found to be with confirmed illegality and/or with disconnected service at the time of application, but may apply once the account has been reopened and/or illegality has been settled

6. Will I automatically receive the Low-Income Lifeline Rate if I meet the criteria?

No. Customers who are qualified for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate must first apply with Maynilad and submit all of the documentary requirements. Only customers with validated applications can receive the special discount. Once validated, the qualified Low-Income Lifeline customer will start enjoying the discount one month after approval of his or her application.

7. How do I apply for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate?

A Maynilad customer must either be a 4Ps beneficiary or a customer living below the poverty threshold set by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

If customer is a 4Ps Beneficiary, the following must be met/submitted to any Maynilad Business Area office or Maynilad Barangay Helpdesk:

1. Included in the DSWD’s Certified List of 4Ps Beneficiaries*
2. Duly accomplished Low-Income Lifeline Rate Application Form
3. Most recent Maynilad bill*
4. 4Ps ID**

_{*The barangay indicated in the Maynilad bill must be the same as the one in DSWD’s Certified List of 4Ps Beneficiaries}

_{**If 4Ps ID is lost/unavailable, other government-issued ID may be provided}

If customer is living below the poverty threshold set by the PSA (Non-4Ps Beneficiary), the following must be submitted to any Maynilad Business Area office or Maynilad Barangay Helpdesk:

1. A Certification from the local Social Welfare and Development Office (SWDO) issued within the last six (6) months showing that his or her family income is below the poverty threshold set by the PSA and applicable at the time of his or her application*
2. Duly accomplished Low-Income Lifeline Rate Application Form
3. Most recent Maynilad bill*
4. Any valid government-issued ID containing the address of the registered customer and his or her signature

_{*The address indicated in the Maynilad bill must be the same as the one in the SWDO Certificate. If addresses do not match, these will be subject to further verification by Maynilad.}

Below is the list of accepted IDs:

• Police Clearance
• Postal ID
• Professional Regulatory Commission License (PRC) ID
• Senior Citizen ID
• Social Security System (ID)
• Tax Identification (TIN) ID
• Unified Multipurpose ID

8. Can I apply for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate through a representative?

Yes, application through a representative is allowed. The following requirements should be submitted along with the requirements mentioned previously:

1. Signed letter of authorization—typewritten or handwritten—bearing the names of the account holder/applicant and representative, Contract Account Number (CAN), address of the account, and signature of both the applicant and the representative. The letter should also specify the reason for the representation. Applicants may also use the Maynilad Customer Authorization Form.
2. Valid government-issued ID of both the representative and the represented, with signature

9. Will I still get a Low-Income Lifeline Rate even without applying for it?

No. Customers who are qualified for the Low-Income Lifeline Rate must first apply with Maynilad and submit all of the documentary requirements. Only customers with validated applications can receive the special discount. Once validated, the qualified Low-Income Lifeline customer will start enjoying the discount one month after approval of his or her application.

10. What is the validity period of the Low-Income Lifeline Rate?

The Low-Income Lifeline Rate is valid for three (3) years and may be renewed two (2) months before the anniversary date—i.e., the date of approval of the discount granted, subject to reapplication and submission of the same application requirements.

11. What happens if my consumption for the month exceeds the 10-cu.m. limit?

If you have been enjoying the Lifeline Rate but exceeded the water consumption limit of 10 cu.m., your bill for that month will not be provided a discount under the Lifeline Rate and you will be billed using regular tariff computations. But if your next billing is at 10 cu.m. and below, you will continue to enjoy the Lifeline Rate for that particular month.