08/06/2026
BISHOP RAPADAS: THINK TWICE — WATER IS MORE THAN A COMMODITY
Most Rev. Jose R. Rapadas III, D.D., through a post on his personal Facebook account, urged stakeholders to carefully consider the implications of any move affecting the management and pricing of water, emphasizing that access to water involves not only economics but also the common good.
According to Bishop Rapadas, water has what economists call a “perfectly inelastic demand.” In simple terms, people cannot live without water and have no alternative source when prices increase. Thus, when private operators raise tariffs to recover investments or generate profits, ordinary consumers have little choice but to bear the additional burden.
“Here is the economic trap,” the bishop explained, noting that consumers cannot simply turn to competitors when water rates rise. He pointed out that if a private company raises the tariff from ₱20 per cubic meter to ₱45 to recover its investment, local consumers have absolutely no choice but to pay.
He further warned that privatizing a broken system effectively transfers the power to determine the price of a basic human necessity from the community to private interests.
“Think twice,” Bishop Rapadas urged, stressing that water is not merely a commodity but a fundamental resource essential to human life, social justice, and the common good.
By: RC Campano- Diocese of Iligan Media Ministry
