The Baciwa Employees Union- National Federation of Labor Unions (BEU-NAFLU) is strongly urging Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to return the management and operations of water distribution to the Bacolod City Water District (BACIWA) as mandated by PD 198.
Bacolodnons have been unjustly denied their basic right to reliable and affordable clean water, marking a distressing turning point, BEU-NAFLU said in a press release on Monday, September 11.
In 2020, BACIWA, led by its Board and Joint Venture Selection Committee, entered into a 25-year Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with PrimeWater, owned by Villar family, with the promise of enhancing water services in Bacolod City.
However, the reality has been starkly different, BEU-NAFLU said.
“Since the JVA, BACIWA’s services have regrettably deteriorated. Access to clean and affordable water remains elusive, despite the commitments made in the JVA. Many residents now suffer through sleepless nights, hoping for water delivery, only to be greeted by dirty and unusable water,” it said.
Furthermore, the burden on consumers has grown as they are now saddled with an additional 12 percent Value-Added Tax on top of their water bills, all while water quality continues to decline, BEU-NAFLU said.
More Bacolodnons are compelled to buy bottled water from refilling stations or grocery stores, highlighting the JVA’s failure to meet its objectives, it said.
Compounding these issues, BACIWA terminated 59 regular employees on Dec. 31, 2020, citing redundancy, BEU-NAFLU said.
Meanwhile, “the water district has continued to hire new employees, leaving these terminated workers in limbo. Our diligent pursuit of justice through the Civil Service Commission (CSC) resulted in victory at the Region VI office. However, the national commission’s decision remains pending due to the BACIWA Board’s Petition for Review filed in October 2021,” the union added.
Despite the resounding dissatisfaction among Bacolodnons with BACIWA-Prime’s subpar water quality and services, the mayor has proposed another Joint Venture Agreement as a solution, instead of holding those responsible for the previous VA accountable for its detrimental impact on the community, it said.
The BEU-NAFLU said it firmly believes that BACIWA should be under the full control of the government.
“Water is an essential natural resource bestowed by nature and should never be exploited for profit by private interests. We stand united against any future Joint Venture Agreements, given the distressing consequences exemplified by PrimeWater,” BEU-NAFLU said.*