Consumer groups and people’s organizations trooped near the office of the Prime Water Infrastructure Company, owned by Manuel Villar’s family, to serve the firm a symbolic disconnection notice. The groups called for the termination of the joint venture agreement (JVA) between the San Jose Del Monte (SJDM) Water District and Prime Water, as proposed by the local board, citing seven years of poor and costly water service. They also urged voters to deny support for the family’s senatorial aspirant Camille Villar in the upcoming elections.
Leading the action were SJDM groups Alliance for Consumer Protection and People’s Rights Network. They were joined by the Alyansa ng Magbubukid ng Bulacan (AMB)/ Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Tierra Nova Subdivision Homeowners’ Association, Samahan at Ugnayan ng mga Konsyumer para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (SUKI Network), Water for the People Network (WPN), Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahirap (Kadamay), Water Systems Employees Response (WATER) and Confederation for the Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), Bayan Muna, and the Gabriela National Women’s Alliance and Gabriela Women’s Party.
Leo Espelimbergo, WPN acting spokesperson and SJDM resident, said that since the JVA began, faucet water has become murky and supply has diminished, only available during sleeping hours. He said that even worse, water tariffs have skyrocketed from Php200 per 10 cubic meters (cu. m.) minimum consumption and Php27 for every succeeding cu. m. to Php212 per 5 cu. m. minimum consumption and Php41 for every succeeding cu. m. This caused water bills to double, making it unaffordable for many SJDM residents who are mostly farmers, informal workers, and small entrepreneurs.
In stark contrast, Prime Water’s profits more than doubled since expanding to over 160 districts and municipalities nationwide. Its net income grew from Php196 million in 2017 to Php1.18 billion in 2023.
The groups hit the Marcos government’s continuation of neoliberal policies that favor privatization, allowing corporations to profit from public utilities like water at the expense of the people. They vowed to continue opposing the government’s pro-oligarchs stance and advocate for alternative measures that promote people’s control over people’s resources, such as returning SJDM water services to government jurisdiction and strengthening public participation in policymaking.
Following the morning action, the Makabayang Koalisyon filed a resolution at the House of Representatives, directing the House Committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization to investigate Prime Water’s JVA with SJDM and other local water districts as well as its onerous impact on local water supply and consumer well-being. The resolution was signed by incumbent partylist representatives Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Women’s Partylist, France Castro of ACT Teachers Partylist, and Raoul Manuel of the Kabataan Partylist. ###
