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A Bacolod City Regional Trial Court judge Tuesday issued a 20-day restraining order enjoining the Bacolod City Water District and PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. from implementing their joint venture agreement (JVA) until further orders from the court.
Bacolod RTC Branch 45 judge Phoebe Gargantiel Balbin was acting on a petition filed by Bacolod Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. and Pepito Pico who are seeking the nullification of the JVA.
The judge said granting the TRO is merely to preserve the status quo until the preliminary injunction is heard and determined, it having been made to appear that the acts of the defendants if not restrained would adversely affect water consumers and irreparable damage would be caused.
She set the hearing of the application for a preliminary injunction on November 9.
Lorendo Dilag, BACIWA chairman of the board, during the signing of the JVA in July, said the partnership will bring in P6.3 billion in total investments from the Villar-owned utility firm in the next 25 years. It is expected to start on November 1, following a three-month transition period.
“It is practical, necessary, and beneficial for the City of Bacolod because BACIWA has no financial capacity on its own to fund an expansion project that will answer the need for more water supply,” he said.
However, Gamboa, said the people of Bacolod are angry and enraged with the “highly disadvantageous contract between BACIWA and PrimeWater.
BACIWA Employees Union president Leny Espina earlier said the water district officials did not only betray its employees but also the people of Bacolod City.
“The Baciwa Board and senior officials may deny it with all their might but they have effectively surrendered the management and operation of the water utility firm to a private corporation,” Espina said.*