Bacolod Councilor Wilson Gamboa at the Senate Commitee hearing*
Bacolod Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. appeared before a Senate Committee on Public Services hearing on Monday, September 29, to push for the immediate termination of the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) between the Bacolod City Water District (BACIWA) and PrimeWater Infrastructure, Inc.
Gamboa, the lead convenor of the advocacy group Amlig Tubig, described the five-year-old JVA as “highly onerous, grossly and gravely disadvantageous” to BACIWA, the city, and its water consumers.
Gamboa was invited as a resource person for two parallel Senate resolutions:
*Senate Resolution No. 16 (authored by Senator Raffy Tulfo), which seeks to examine the Commission on Audit’s (COA) findings on irregularities in Water District JVAs; and
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*Senate Resolution No. 50 (authored by Senator Riza Hontiveros), which probes whether these JVAs have delivered quality, reliable, and accessible water services.
In his position paper submitted to the committee, Gamboa detailed numerous alleged irregularities since PrimeWater took over BACIWA’s management in 2020, citing a pattern of inadequate water supply, unsafe water quality, and questionable business practices.
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has received frequent complaints since the 2020 takeover, he said.*