The City Council has summoned officials of Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) and Hiraya Water Corp. to a committee conference after the latter recently took over the operations of PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. as the water service provider if Bacolod.
Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. said he authored a resolution approved during the regular session on Wednesday, August 26, requesting the two firms to appear before the committee on energy and public utilities to report on the sale of PrimeWater and the plans to improve the water services in the city.
“There is no need to send a letter. They will just be furnished a copy of the resolution and informed of the scheduled committee conference,” Gamboa said on Thursday.
He said the action is a joint call of the City Council, with the committee on energy and public utilities chaired by Councilor Bobby Rojas as the lead committee.
On Aug. 4, PrimeWater Bacolod City changed its cover photo on Facebook into that of Hiraya Water Corp. Bacolod City.
Hiraya Water is the former PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., which was acquired by Lucio Co-led Crystal Bridges Holding Corp. in a 100-percent buyout late last year.
“The public deserves to know what does the sale of PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. mean for Bacolod consumers,” Gamboa said.
He added Bacolodnons also need to know the plans to improve the reliability, accessibility, quality, and efficiency of water services and what they can expect moving forward.
The then PrimeWater Bacolod City had faced numerous complaints over its poor service, particularly the “dark, smelly, and contaminated water” and frequent service disruptions and questionable financial status.
Local consumer welfare groups continued to call for better water service after confirmation that PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. had been bought by another company, which was later identified as Hiraya Water.*PNA
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