Hontiveros, Makabayan seek Senate, House probes into lapses of Villars’ PrimeWater

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It remains to be seen if the House and Senate leaderships will go out of their way to schedule a hearing as they have little more than a month left before the 19th Congress adjourns for good

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros and three opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives are formally seeking an investigation into the lapses of PrimeWater, the utility firm owned by the Villar family that has taken over operations of numerous water districts across the country.

Hontiveros filed her resolution with the Senate on Monday, May 5, noting that “citizen complaints continued to pile up against private concessionaire PrimeWater at the height of the dry season.”

Her call is directed to the public services committee, chaired by Senator Raffy Tulfo.

“The Commission on Audit in its various reports has repeatedly flagged significant problems and irregularities in numerous water district joint venture agreements, raising serious concerns about their legality, economic viability, and impact on service quality and tariff rates,” Hontiveros’ resolution read.

“Moves to terminate or legal challenges related to problematic public-private agreements in the Philippines underscore the necessity of clear contractual terms, robust legal norms, and effective dispute resolution mechanisms from the outset,” she added.

In the House, a resolution by Makabayan calls on the government enterprises and privatization to look into the “detrimental impact” of PrimeWater’s operations.

The three-member bloc composed of ACT Teachers Representative France Castro, Gabriela Representative Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Representative Raoul Manuel also urged local government units to “immediately initiate the pre-termination of joint venture agreements with PrimeWater.”

Makabayan will file the resolution at 2 pm today.

“This deplorable service is intrinsically linked to PrimeWater’s profit-driven model, evidenced by reports of the corporation reaping substantial profits while the local water districts trapped in these JVAs incur operational losses, exposing the predatory and fundamentally disadvantageous nature of these agreements for the public sector and consumers,” the resolution read.

The left-leaning bloc was among the first to call for an investigation into the company’s shortcomings when it filed in April 2023 a resolution asking their colleagues to look into the joint venture agreement (JVA) between PrimeWater and the Bacolod City Water District.

It remains to be seen if the House and Senate leaderships will go out of their way to schedule a hearing as they have little more than a month left before the 19th Congress adjourns for good. Both chambers are still on break due to the election season.

Doing so could also mean upsetting Senator Cynthia Villar and House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar, who are both in the majority bloc.

Rappler first reported about the the bad service of PrimeWater that Bulacan residents had been enduring for years back in April. Since then, residents in other provinces have also come forward to complain about the utility firm.

It has since become an election issue, with residents in Bulacan mounting a campaign against Camille Villar, who is running for senator. Her brother Manuel Paolo owns Prime Asset Ventures, the parent company of PrimeWater.

Last week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Local Water Utilities Administration to investigate the utility firm, even though Villar is part of the senatorial lineup of his administration for the 2025 polls.

Subsequently, PrimeWater issued a statement saying it welcomes any opportunity for an “open and meaningful dialogue” to resolve people’s concerns. – Rappler.com