Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros called for a Senate investigation into joint venture agreements between water districts and private companies, some of which were found by the Commission on Audit (COA) to be “disadvantageous”, on Monday, May 5.
Hontiveros said she called for the probe as citizen complaints, including in Bacolod City, continue to pile up against private concessionaire PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. at the height of the dry season.
The Villar-owned PrimeWater has an existing joint venture with the Bacolod City Water District.
Hontiveros cited complaints of “poor service quality, inadequate water supply, and significant increases in water tariffs — as reported in areas served by PrimeWater in various provinces like Bulacan and cities like Bacolod — sparking public protests and calls for an intervention.”
“No one is too big to be investigated. We need to take a closer look at these water concessionaires because too many of our countrymen are already thirsty for proper services from them, especially this summer,” Hontiveros said.
“Drop-and-drop service is unacceptable. We cannot ignore the vague water contracts that are appearing in some households that are victims of the negligence of water concessionaires and oversight bodies,” she said.
While Malacañang has announced that it will initiate an investigation into PrimeWater’s alleged shortcomings, Hontiveros stressed that there is already an abundance of potentially actionable audit findings.
“At present, 11 water districts are reportedly seeking to terminate their joint venture agreements immediately. The problem might be far worse and more encompassing. Malacañang can now take action while we are still trying to figure out how to prevent this situation from getting worse and recurring,” Hontiveros said.
In Proposed Senate Resolution No. 1352, Hontiveros called on the Senate Committee on Public Services to conduct an investigation on the joint venture agreements between water districts and private companies such as Prime Water Infrastructure Corp., Manila Water Philippine Ventures, Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp., and COA findings on these contracts, including the alleged vagueness and complexity of their terms.
She pointed out that due to the lack of transparency and clear accountability mechanisms in the agreements, it is difficult for the public to hold private concessionaires, water district boards, the LWUA, the National Water Resources Board, the Commission on Audit, and the Public-Private Partnership Center accountable.
“Our countrymen are complaining that they are still being charged even though there is almost no water flowing from their taps. It is time for us to charge the water concessionaires and other agencies that are supposed to provide uninterrupted service,” Hontiveros said.*