Pursuant to section 5 of Presidential Decree No. (P.D.) 198, otherwise known as the “Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1972”, as amended, the Zamboanga City Water District Board of Directors approved and issued Board Resolution No. 127 series of 2023, entitled: “𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐘 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒”, as follows:

𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐮𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

a. Non-payment or non-settlement of water bill ten (10) calendar days after the due date as specified in the water bill, or a payment-settlement arrangement;

b. Illegal connection and/or pilferage under Republic Act (R.A.) No. 8041 or its IRR;

c. Upon lawful orders of government agencies or courts; or

d. Upon request of the account holder or his duly authorized representative, upon settlement of unpaid balances;

𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

1. After ten (10) calendar days from the due date, a water service connection may be disconnected if the payment remains unpaid.

2. Prior Notice pursuant to the succeeding Section has been duly served upon the Customer or his/her authorized representative. In such case, the registered account subject to disconnection shall be considered delinquent;

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

1. At least five (5) working days prior to disconnection, ZCWD will serve a written Notice to the registered customer, or any member of the household, office, or business entity of such registered customer.

2. A written Notice shall inform the customer that ZCWD shall effect disconnection of the water service connection unless, within five (5) working days, the customer or its authorized representative shall make full payment of any unpaid bill, or enter into a payment settlement scheme.

3. failure to receive the Notice of Disconnection shall not deny ZCWD of its right to disconnect the water service connection, upon the lapse of five (5) days from the attempted service of notice;

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

a. For meter-stand and clustered meter disconnections

1. Upon disconnection, a galvanized iron (G.I.) plug at the meter stand will be installed before the water meter.

2. The portion of the pipe or joint where the G.I. plug was installed shall be wrapped and secured with an iron wire seal.

3. Any lockable valve mechanism before the water meter shall also be locked.

4. The water meter shall then be visually labeled as disconnected, in such a manner that a water meter reader may readily identify the same as disconnected;

b. Mainline Disconnection

1. Failure to settle delinquent accounts after sixty (60) days from the date of disconnection will be subject to mainline disconnection.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭

a. The disconnection is requested by the owner or its duly authorized representative.

b. The account must be free of any unpaid bills or illegal connection penalties. Otherwise, the owner requesting disconnection must fully pay such unsettled balances, so that disconnection may be effected;

𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞-𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Under Republic Act 8041 otherwise known as the National Water Crisis Act of 1995 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, any customer who shall re-open his water service connection without settling its delinquent account with ZCWD shall automatically be assessed a flat-rate, non-negotiable penalty of 𝐏𝐡𝐩𝟐𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎.

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

1. The registered customer or its duly authorized representative shall make a full payment of unpaid bill(s).

2. Or shall enter into a settlement agreement with respect to the delinquent account.

3. A reconnection fee of 𝐏𝐡𝐩𝟓𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎 regardless of whether reconnection shall be made at the meter stand, or in case of mainline reconnection will be made.

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 (𝟏𝟓) 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

𝐙𝐂𝐖𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓