Makabayan members seek House probe of PrimeWater

Members of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives have filed a resolution calling for an inquiry into the joint venture agreement between PrimeWater and the San Jose Del Monte Water District over the alleged poor water supply and service.

In House Resolution No. 2279. House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list, and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan party-list also called for an investigation into PrimeWater's impact on local water districts.

The lawmakers said residents of San Jose del Monte experienced chronic water shortages and high water bills, exacerbated by slow action and response to residents' complaints and issues since the inception of the JVA with PrimeWater in 2018.

In an interview, the lawmakers said that San Jose del Monte residents said PrimeWater customers have the right to adequate water and should not have to choose between sleeping and securing their supply.

“Water is life. Water is a basic necessity. Our fellow Filipinos should not endure poor water supply services. What they need is an efficient water supply, and it is time that we hold people accountable,” Castro said.

“Hindi natin matanggap na ang choice lang ng mga kababayan natin sa PrimeWater ay tubig o tulog. Hindi na sila muna matutulog kasi tuwing madaling araw malakas ang water flow? Magsasakrispisyo sila ng ganun? Hindi tama ‘yun. Hindi iyon makatao. Perwisyo iyon,” Manuel said.

(They should not sleep because the water flow is strong at dawn? They have to sacrifice that much? That is not right. That is inhumane. That is unjust.)

GMA News Online has reached out to PrimeWater for comment and will publish its comment as soon as it is available.

“Issues with water quality and quantity include dirty water discharge from the tap, along with poor and intermittent water flow of only an average of two hours per day, usually during the wee hours of the day, with water shortages also lasting for as long as two days,” the resolution said.

Aside from San Jose del Monte, the lawmakers said that other areas where PrimeWater entered into JVAs with local water districts such as Dasmariñas, Cavite, Bacolod City, Batangas, Rizal, Iloilo and Davao are also suffering from the same poor water service “constituting a gross violation of the people’s right to water and a blatant failure of service delivery.”

Former Bayan Muna lawmaker Ferdinand Gaite, who joined a broad coalition of consumers and sectoral groups in a protest action today in front of the Prime Water office in Starmall Shaw to denounce the company’s alleged inefficient water service and the continuing privatization of public utilities, said Prime Water cannot continue to get away with such failures.

“Prime Water has failed the people. For years, residents in service areas like San Jose del Monte have suffered from dirty, undrinkable water, high rates, and a water supply for only two hours a day, sometimes in the dead of night. This is a clear violation of the people’s right to accessible, clean, and affordable water,” Gaite said in a statement.

“Sa loob ng pitong taon, tiniis ng mga mamamayan ang maruming tubig, mahal na singil, at halos walang serbisyo. Dapat nang wakasan ang kontrata ng PrimeWater. Dapat panagutin ang mga nagpabaya at nagpasasa sa kita habang naghihirap ang taumbayan.  This is not just about San Jose del Monte. From Bacolod to Dasmariñas, Bukidnon to Lucena, we are seeing the same problems. This is the painful outcome when water, a basic human right, is treated as a business commodity,” Gaite added.

(For seven years, the residents endured dirty water, exorbitant fees, and poor service. Prime Water should be held accountable for negligence and swimming in profit while the people suffer.)

The groups who supported the filing of the House Resolution include: Water for the People Network and SUKI Network,  including Leo Espelimbergo of Alliance for Consumer Protection, Even Calajate and Joseph Cabellos of Peoples Rights Network, Kadamay Secretary General Mimi Doringo, COURAGE chair Santi Dasmarinas, and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas Secretary General Ronnie Manalo.

Before the filing of the resolution, the City Council of San Jose del Monte passed a Resolution supporting the San Jose del Monte Water District’s intention to pre-terminate its 25-year JVA with PrimeWater.

Prime Water, which entered into a JVA with San Jose del Monte Water District in 2018, is already under investigation by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) as ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., amid massive complaints of poor water distribution by the water distribution firms in its serviced areas across the country. –NB, GMA Integrated News