Water services in Barangay Tumana, Marikina City were restored after the local government settled P15 million as an initial payment to Manila Water.

Mayor Marjorie Ann "Maan" Teodoro, alongside Marikina District 1 Rep. Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro and members of the City Council, went to the Manila Water office in Tumana on Saturday morning, 20 December, to hand over the cheque.

"Today, we paid P15 million to Manila Water as an initial payment to immediately reconnect the water services of approximately 3,000 residents in Barangay Tumana,” Mayor Maan said.

After the payment, city officials accompanied Manila Water personnel to oversee the opening of Barangay Tumana’s 13 water gate valves, ensuring the supply was fully restored.

Earlier, Mayor Maan sent a letter to Ronan Abear, Business Operations Director – Marikina Service Area (East Zone Service Area) on 20 December, informing the company of the P15 million allocation as emergency humanitarian assistance.

The mayor stressed that the sudden loss of water supply posed an immediate threat to public health, sanitation, and human dignity, particularly for children, senior citizens, and individuals with medical conditions.

During his term as mayor, Rep. Marcy Teodoro paid P8.8 million to Manila Water to reduce Tumana’s mounting debt to the concessionaire. At that time, the debt was around P20 million. As of this month, the total debt had risen to P37,192,199.98, leading to the disconnection on 18 December.

"When I was mayor, the debt was reduced, but it still ballooned over the past two years. We paid P8.8 million to ensure that the water supply would not be cut off," Rep. Teodoro said.

Mayor Maan added that the local government will hold officials accountable for failing to settle the full debt. “We will find and hold those responsible accountable. Someone will be held liable, and we will ensure that this never happens again,” she said.