Hontiveros calls for Senate probe on unfair water JVAs

Senator Risa Hontiveros is turning up the heat on private water concessionaires as she calls for an urgent Senate investigation into allegedly lopsided joint venture agreements (JVAs) between local water districts and big-name providers like PrimeWater, Manila Water, and Metro Pacific Water.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday, Hontiveros said she has refiled Senate Resolution No. 16 to revisit findings by the Commission on Audit (COA), which flagged several JVAs as “disadvantageous to the government and the public.”

“I filed this resolution earlier because complaints from the public have been mounting, and the COA report confirmed what we feared—many of these contracts favor private concessionaires and shortchange ordinary Filipinos,” she said.

The move comes on the heels of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent State of the Nation Address, where he acknowledged the serious gaps in water service and vowed to hold underperforming entities accountable.

“Like food, our lives depend on water,” the President said, noting that over six million consumers nationwide currently suffer from poor or unreliable water access.

Hontiveros emphasized that her call for a probe echoes this urgent national concern.

“This isn’t just a service issue—it’s a matter of dignity and public health. Access to clean water is a right,” she stressed.

The proposed Senate inquiry aims to scrutinize how JVAs were structured, identify provisions that place the public at a disadvantage, and recommend reforms to strengthen government oversight.

She also urged the Senate to summon representatives from water firms, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), the Public-Private Partnership Center, local government units, and other relevant agencies.

Hontiveros backed proposals to create a Department of Water, which she said could unify and streamline the country’s fragmented water governance system.

“If a centralized agency can make water governance clearer, more accountable, and more effective, then we must seriously consider it,” she said.

The senator also noted that several LGUs have already begun terminating concessionaire contracts due to poor service, reflecting growing frustration at the local level.

“With climate change, rapid urbanization, and rising demand, we must act now to ensure fair, sustainable, and reliable water access for all,” Hontiveros concluded.