Marcos: Those behind bad water service will be held accountable
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. said Monday that water service providers and their joint venture partners liable for the water service interruptions in several parts of the country will be held accountable.
Marcos made the firm stance during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), as he lamented that more than six million consumers are currently affected by the water service interruptions.
'Ginagawa na ng LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration) ngayon ang mga mabisang hakbang laban sa palpak na serbisyo ng mga water districts at kanilang mga joint venture partners. Titiyakin ng LWUA na mailalagay na sa ayos ang serbisyo ng tubig ng milyon-milyon nating mga kababayan at gawing mas abot-kaya naman ang presyo,' the President said.
(The LWUA is taking effective measures against the bad service of water districts and their joint venture partners. LWUA will ensure that the water service for millions of Filipinos will be fixed and the price will also be made more affordable.)
'Higit sa lahat, titiyakin nating mapapanagot ang mga nagpabaya at nagkulang sa mahalagang serbisyong-publiko na ito,' he said.
(Above all, we will ensure that those who have neglected and lacked in providing this public service will be held accountable.)
To recall, Marcos had ordered an investigation into the operations of PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. due to numerous service-related complaints. According to Malacañang, the Marcos administration does not tolerate insufficiency of services, noting that the needs of the public must always be provided.
PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. is owned by the Villar family.
For its part, the water service provider had vowed to be open to any meaningful dialogue that will resolve concerns as it also affirmed it is committed to cooperating with LWUA.
LWUA had also submitted its report to the Office of the President as regards its investigation into the operations of water service provider PrimeWater.
Earlier this month, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said that joint venture agreements (JVAs) between PrimeWater and other local water districts increased in 2019 when the LWUA was still an attached agency of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Castro had emphasized that the DPWH during that time was led by then-secretary and incumbent Senator Mark Villar.
Villar, in return, denied that he had any participation in joint venture agreements entered into by PrimeWater and other local water districts facilitated through the LWUA.
"I wish to take this opportunity to clarify that I have no direct or indirect ownership or controlling interest in Primewater," Villar said in a statement. — RF, GMA Integrated News
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