Newly installed Angeles City (AC) Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II issued Executive Order (EO) No. 2025-001, formally suspending the collection of environmental fees by water utility companies in the city, July 1.
Following the suspension, private water utilities and water districts were instructed to “cease and desist” from collecting environmental fees or septage fees from Angeleños in line with EO 2025-001 — “pending re-evaluation” and the “eventual introduction of amendments.”
Soliman Septic Tank Disposal, the city’s accredited septage service provider, was also ordered to stop conducting desludging and siphoning activities until further notice while the collection of administrative fees from accredited service providers by the AC Water District was likewise suspended.
AC households previously paid P5 per cubic meter used, while commercial, industrial, government, and institutional establishments paid P10 per cubic meter consumed for water quality and septage management.
In his inaugural speech at the Lapid Arena, Barangay Pampang, the new mayor stated that the local government unit had received “numerous complaints, concerns, and comments” from city residents and stakeholders regarding the environmental fee — first introduced by former AC Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. in 2022.
During the 2025 campaigning period, Lazatin’s mayoral opposition and former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar “Oca” Albayalde stated that the environmental fee should be removed, describing it as a “burden” on AC residents.
“Ang issue ng environmental fee, ay hindi issue ng asul o pula. Issue ito ng mga naghihirap na mamamayan. Ito ay issue-ng nangagailangan ng agarang aksyon, hindi isang pinag-iisipang solution,” Albayalde stated in a Facebook post dated April 29.
His former running mate and now AC Vice Mayor Amos Rivera also supported the removal of the environmental fee, arguing that its implementation and collection lacked proper consultation, despite being in compliance with the Clean Water Act of 2004.
“As a general rule, dapat po ang required na mag-implement do’n and mag-execute do’n ay yung mismong local government unit. Ang nangyari po kase [ay] pinataw sa isang third-party company na engaged sa ganitong business. Supposedly, ang magsa-subsidize dapat diyan for compliance sa Clean Water Act ay yung mismong local government unit concerned,” said Rivera on April 27 in an interview with Balitang-Balita news station.
In response to criticisms about the environmental fee and other local issues, Lazatin, during an April caucus, explained that the inaction pointed out by his political rivals was due to his lack of authority at the time, emphasizing that being a candidate did not grant him the ability to implement policies.
He also presented an environmental plan for the city — including his intent to pursue legal strategies to address the environmental fee.
“Sabi ko nga hindi naman natin basta-basta matatanggal ito, pero sa unang linggong pag-upo natin, kailangan suspendihin na natin ang implementasyon nito. At sigurado naman, katuwang ko ang sanggunian para mapahusay natin ang mga batas na hindi na akma sa sitwasyon,” Lazatin II said in his inaugural speech.
Additionally, the mayor cited the suspension as part of a broader effort to promote sustainable development
