Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Mayor Greg Gasataya assured that there will be no water disruption in Bacolod City as PrimeWater paid its bulk water supplier on Saturday, December 13.
Sonya Verdeflor, Bacolod City Water District (BACIWA) chair, said on Friday that PrimeWater had not paid Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. (BBWI) since September, which has been a continuing pattern.
The bulk water supplier warned PrimeWater to pay their P11 million unpaid bill or it would stop delivering water to Bacolod by Monday, Verdeflor said.
BBWI in a statement confirmed that PrimeWater – Bacolod City settled its outstanding obligations for bulk water supply on Saturday.
“With the settlement of the outstanding balance duly confirmed, BBWI assures the public that there will be no interruption in the bulk water supply, and normal operations shall continue to support uninterrupted water service within Bacolod City,” it said.
BBWI thanked Benitez, the Bacolod City government and BACIWA Board of Directors “for their timely intervention and constructive coordination, which helped facilitate the prompt resolution of this matter in the interest of the public”.
As the major bulk water supplier providing a significant portion of the city’s water requirements, BBWI said it is committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure the continuous, safe, and reliable delivery of water to the people of Bacolod.
“Our primary concern has always been the welfare of the community, and we are hopeful that moving forward, similar issues will be avoided through timely compliance with contractual obligations”, it added.
“Let me be clear and unequivocal: there will be no water disruption in Bacolod City. The public is urged to remain calm and assured that the delivery of water services will continue uninterrupted,” Benitez said.
Benitez said he has been given the assurance that PrimeWater will settle in full its outstanding obligations to the bulk water suppliers, including BBWI.
He said his office is in close and constant coordination with the Bacolod City government led by Mayor Greg Gasataya and the Sangguniang Panlungsod, as well as with BACIWA, BBWI, PrimeWater, and all other concerned parties, to ensure that this matter will not arise in the future.
Benitez urged BACIWA to fully explore and exhaust all available legal remedies to protect the public interest, assert its rights under existing laws and contracts, and ensure that water services remain stable and uninterrupted.
“At the same time, I respectfully call on all parties to exercise prudence and responsibility in issuing public statements. While transparency is important, communications that may cause unnecessary panic, confusion, or anxiety among the public should be avoided. Our collective duty is to provide clear, accurate, and reassuring information,” he added.
The City Government is mindful of the gravity of this concern as at least 40 percent of BACIWA-PrimeWater’s water supply is sourced from BBWI’s treatment facilities, including the Granada Water Treatment Facility in Barangay Granada, Bacolod City and the Sum-Ag Water Treatment Plant in Barangay Salvacion, Murcia, Gasataya said.
It is very unfortunate that after the City’s intervention to resolve the same issue in July, another one arose under the watch of BACIWA who has the ultimate and primary obligation under its current Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with PrimeWater to ensure that no water crisis will ever occur in Bacolod, he added.
“We will never allow that the welfare of our constituents will be prejudiced and compromised just because someone is remiss of its contractual obligations,” Gasataya said.*