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Residents of Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City, Manila, queue to receive water distributed on water tank truck and fire trucks on March 15, 2019. Manila has been hit by its worst water shortage in years, leaving bucket-bearing families to wait hours for a fill up from tanker trucks and some hospitals to turn away less urgent cases.
AFP / Noel Celis
MANILA, Philippines — A House resolution has been filed seeking to launch a legislative probe into a private water firm repeatedly flagged for extended service interruptions, low water pressure and delayed repairs.
Rep. Jefferson Khonghun (Zambales, 1st District) introduced House Resolution 22 on Thursday, July 3, asking the 20th Congress to investigate the alleged irregularities in the joint venture agreements of Villar-owned PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. with local water districts.
The resolution also aims to give affected households an avenue to help shape a regulatory framework that promotes transparency, accountability, fairness and consumer protection in water services in the country.
Khonghun stressed that safe, clean and affordable access to water shouldn’t be treated as a privilege. “Water is not merely a commodity; it is life itself,” he said.
However, the private water utility has faced multiple complaints from consumers in the districts it’s supposed to serve.
In Subic, Zambales, Khonghun said residents have long been frustrated over the firm’s “unreliable service.” Not only were there multiple emergency disruptions in a single month, but outages had the tendency to last an entire day and affect several barangays.
“Numerous reports and public testimonies have highlighted persistent inefficiencies in water supply and service delivery under PrimeWater’s management, including prolonged service interruptions, low water pressure, delayed leak repairs, and failure to fulfill infrastructure development commitments,” the resolution read.
Even civil society organizations and other stakeholders have called out the lack of transparency and accountability when PrimeWater fails to provide water.
Khonghun said he has heard of instances where the company ignored complaints and failed to address issues through effective grievance mechanisms.
He remarked that PrimeWater has gained a reputation for putting its profit above the public’s basic right to water.
“Such operational deficiencies and corporate practices raise serious concerns about the suitability of public-private partnerships in the water sector, particularly when public welfare is subordinated to private gain, thereby eroding public trust and weakening institutional safeguards,” the resolution read.
Khonghun said Subic’s local council has had enough of PrimeWater’s “substandard performance” since its 2018 joint venture with the Subic Water District.
Due to mounting frustrations, the district has already issued a notice of pre-termination, citing breaches of the contract and continued poor service delivery.
Before the House launches a probe, the House must first adopt the resolution in a plenary session. If approved, the House will designate the appropriate committees to conduct the probe.
Khonghun told reporters that 40 lawmakers have already expressed their interest to co-author the measure.
PrimeWater distributes water for over half a million households across more than 100 districts nationwide. Its operations span several areas, including Bulacan, Batangas, San Pedro (Laguna), Camarines Norte, Cabanatuan City and Sorsogon City.
The firm, in its July 2 statement, affirmed its full cooperation with regulatory agencies and expressed openness to any recommendations to strengthen its operations amid the Local Water Utilities Administration’s ongoing investigation, as ordered by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
