Probe begins on PrimeWater

Malacañang on Friday confirmed that the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has launched an official investigation into PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., owned by the Villar family, following persistent complaints of poor water service across multiple provinces.

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the probe, initiated by order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., will examine PrimeWater’s 73 joint venture deals with various local water districts nationwide.

“Nag-i-start na po ngayong araw na ito (The probe started today),” Castro said in a Palace briefing.

She emphasized that customers from provinces such as Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Bohol, and Pangasinan have long been raising concerns over water supply issues and steep charges.

“Unang-una po, umiiyak po ang Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Bohol, Pangasinan. Hindi lamang po iyan. Marami pa pong iba (First of all, residents of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Bohol, Pangasinan are crying out. And there are many others),” she said.

Addressing claims of political motivation behind the probe, Castro dismissed Vice President Sara Duterte’s assertion that the investigation is linked to her support for Senatorial candidate Camille Villar, daughter of Senator Cynthia and former Senate President Manny Villar.

“We cannot expect anything nice or any nice word from the Vice President in favor of the President and of the present administration. She will always use that excuse or defense of that pamumulitika (politicking) without really answering or responding directly to the issues,” Castro said.

She pointed out that PrimeWater’s rapid expansion began under the Duterte administration.

“Namayagpag naman po ang PrimeWater noong taong 2018 sa panahon po ni dating Pangulong Duterte (PrimeWater thrived in 2018 during the term of former President Duterte),” Castro added.

“Tandaan po natin marami na po na mga kababayan natin ang customers po ng PrimeWater na siyang umiiyak. Hindi po ito bago kaya po nakakapagtaka kung bakit hindi ito nasolusyunan sa nakaraang administrasyon (Let us remember that many of our fellow citizens, customers of PrimeWater, have long been crying out. This is not new, so it is puzzling why it was not addressed during the previous administration),” she said.

Castro affirmed that the President is simply doing his duty to address public grievances.

“Kailangan pong trabahuhin, obligasyon po ng gobyerno at ng Pangulo na tugunan ang lahat ng hinaing ng taumbayan (This must be addressed. It is the obligation of the government and the President to respond to the people’s grievances),” she said.

She also encouraged Vice President Duterte to pursue more reasoned and respectful discourse.

“Sana po ay i-level up po natin, rason sa rason, datos sa datos. Huwag gamitan ng masasamang salita o pagmumura (Let’s elevate the discussion, reason for reason, data for data. Let’s avoid using foul language or insults),” she said.

Castro also criticized Duterte’s continued claims of politicking when confronted with various controversies, including the Commission on Audit’s PHP12.3 billion in unsettled financial transactions under her watch at the Department of Education.

“Ngayon po may isyu pa rin po tungkol sa P12.3 billion na COA findings patungkol po sa DepEd unsettled financial transactions ng DepEd sa pamumuno po ni VP Sara. ‘Yan pa rin po ba ang sasabihin niyang pamumulitika (Now there’s the issue of the P12.3 billion in COA findings regarding DepEd’s unsettled financial transactions under VP Sara’s leadership. Will she still call that politicking)?” she said.

The unresolved audit issues, flagged in COA’s 2023 report, stem from notices of suspension, disallowance, and charges that increased during Duterte’s tenure. She was impeached by the House in February, with the Senate expected to begin trial proceedings in July.