MWSS not liable to Bulacan gov't over Angat Dam use — SC

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) is not required to share its proceeds from the use of the Angat Dam with the Bulacan Provincial government, the Supreme Court (SC) affirmed.

According to the high court's statement on Friday, the SC en Banc denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the Bulacan provincial government.

The Bulacan government previously asked a regional trial court (RTC) to compel the MWSS to pay a share of its use of the water resources from the dam.

This was granted by the RTC and affirmed by the Court of Appeals.

The SC, however, ruled in favor of the MWSS, prompting the government to file the present motion for reconsideration.

In denying the provincial government's motion for reconsideration, the SC said it found that the Angat Dam is no longer considered a natural resource as it has been extracted from the Angat River, which is the natural source.

"Once water is removed from its natural source, it ceases to be part of the natural resources of the country and becomes artificial and man-made in character," it said.

It said that for a local government unit (LGU) to be entitled to a share in the use of national wealth, the national wealth forms part of a natural resource, it is within the LGU's territory, and the proceeds must come from the use of such national wealth.

The SC said that instead, liability falls on the direct extractor, which is the National Power Commission (NPC).

"The NPC is responsible for paying the Bulacan government, and it has been complying with this obligation," the SC said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News