• GILBERT P. BAYORAN / CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The Villar-owned PrimeWater, which entered into a joint venture agreement (JVA) with the Bacolod Water District (BACIWA), is up for takeover.
Bacolod Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez announced on Monday that he was informed that the sale of PrimeWater was concluded last week. He, however, did not identify the company that bought PrimeWater, which faces mounting complaints concerning the quality and reliability of its water services in highly-urbanized Bacolod City.
Last month, Manny Pangilinan, chairman of the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), confirmed that they are studying the possibility of acquiring PrimeWater.
PrimeWater serves over 1.7 million households and treats more than 500 million liters of water daily. Its service coverage spans Tuguegarao in Cagayan province, through Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and the Visayas, extending all the way to Davao City in Mindanao.
Benitez, in an interview with RMN-DYHB, disclosed that about P1.5 billion is needed to modernize all water pipes and related infrastructure of BACIWA-PrimeWater, based on his dialog with the concerned officials.
The solon also told the incumbent BACIWA-PrimeWater officials to convince the new owner to improve the JVA provisions, which he described as one-sided.
Benitez said the new owner must immediately invest P1.5 billion for the modernization of BACIWA-PrimeWater, and not to wait for entry of cash flow, citing what Negros Power did to Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO), upon taking over of the management.
A warning of possible shutdown of BACIWA-PrimeWater operations was aired last week, after it allegedly failed to P11 million in bulk water deliveries since September, prompting its supplier, Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. (BBWI) to issue a final extension until December 14.
The shutdown was averted after BACIWA-PrimeWater settled its account a day before the deadline.
At least 40 percent of BACIWA-PrimeWater water supply is sourced from BBWI’s treatment facilities.
During his term as mayor of Bacolod City, Benitez said they were able to address the problem of water supply by increasing it to 100 million liters per day from the previously 60 to 70 MLD.
The next step, he added, should be the replacement of aging water pipes, which should be given priority by the incoming owner of PrimeWater.
WATER WATCH REACTION
The convenor of Water Watch Advocates questioned the alleged sale of BACIWA-PrimeWater and called on city officials to investigate the matter.
Wennie Sancho yesterday said that they have received information from reliable sources that BACIWA-PrimeWater has allegedly been sold, but the buyer remains unknown. If true, Water Watch Advocates Convenor and as a consumer is questioning who authorized this sale?
As a Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC), can BACIWA be sold without proper authorization? Did Prime Water have the authority to sell this public water utility? He asked.
“As consumers, we were not informed. This was done secretly and we demand transparency. We have the right under the Constitution to be informed on matters of public concern,” Sancho said, adding that the people of Bacolod City deserve answers.
“We call on Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya and the Sanggunian Panlunsod to investigate this matter and ensure that the interests of the consumers are protected. We will continue to monitor the situation and fight for the rights of the people to access clean, potable and affordable water supply,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sancho said his intention in raising these issues is not to malign or slight the officials of the city, but rather to send a very strong message to them that “We, the consumers have the right to be informed on crucial matters especially if it involves public welfare and public interest.”
But despite his question on the process and the lack of transparency in the alleged sale of BACIWA-PrimeWater, he is still confident that whoever bought the water utility firm would give the best expected services to the consumers of Bacolod. He is also hoping that the new management would resolve all the perennial problems of BACIWA-PrimeWater that have been haunting the consumers of Bacolod City for a long period of time, he added.*
