PrimeWater: A crime against consumers

PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., owned by the Villar family, has turned access to water — a fundamental right — into a daily struggle for Filipinos. Consumer complaints are prevalent in the many areas it serves, which include more than 100 LGUs and Villar-affiliated condominiums and subdivisions.

From San Pedro, Laguna, to Bulacan and Cavite, consumers face unreliable supply, poor water quality, and exorbitant rates, making PrimeWater a burden rather than a provider.

Yesterday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to look into PrimeWater’s operations. This is a commendable step towards protecting Filipino consumers, especially those from low-income backgrounds.

To ensure the participation of consumers and to determine the root cause of these failures, a legislative hearing is urgently needed. Such a platform would empower consumers, including my townmates in San Pedro, to voice their grievances officially and to compel PrimeWater to address whether these complaints are valid or colored by politics. A hearing could clarify the speculations.

In San Pedro, PrimeWater’s joint venture with the San Pedro Water District (SPWD) since 2015 has resulted in widespread discontent. Residents in elevated areas like Southern Heights, Barangay Riverside and San Vicente report frequent interruptions, with water often unavailable for hours and even days.

Residents have disputed PrimeWater’s claims it provides water rations during outages. A 2019 Change.org petition decried the “costly but unstable service,” highlighting unannounced interruptions and murky water unfit for household use. These issues persist, with billing disputes adding to the frustration. Residents report bills as high as P1,000 despite a fixed rate of P60 for low consumption.

The complaints resonate across PrimeWater’s service areas.

In Bulacan, Governor Daniel Fernando publicly decried PrimeWater’s “very poor” service, noting persistent issues since the company’s takeover and proposing the revocation of joint venture agreements in affected towns like Calumpit, Malolos, Marilao and San Jose del Monte.

Vice Governor Alex Castro echoed this, appealing to the Senate to scrutinize the “untouchable” PrimeWater, stating that the local government feels “hostaged” by the 25-year joint venture deal.

These public statements followed reports of whole-day water outages and high bills, prompting multi-pronged investigations at the provincial and city levels.

In Cavite, Camarines Norte and Angeles City, consumers endure dry taps, with water often flowing only at night. A five-day outage in Camarines Norte left towns like Daet gasping, without prior notice. When water is available, it’s frequently turbid or foul-smelling, as reported in Bacolod and Angeles.

A 2023 report quoted a Cavite resident in a Villar-owned development lamenting that the water was “unusable” for cooking or bathing, forcing their reliance on costly bottled water. Billing practices were also raised. In Meycauayan, Bulacan, a minimum charge of P355.71 for seven cubic meters applies regardless of usage, while Camarines Norte faced a 2.06-percent rate hike amid the outages. Some areas report a 300-percent fee increase post-privatization, hitting low-income families hardest, as noted by various consumer groups.

PrimeWater’s indifference is a recurring grievance. In San Pedro, homeowners have exposed the company’s failure to announce outages and address complaints promptly, including allegations of prioritized water distribution to Villar-owned subdivisions.

PrimeWater has consistently failed to deliver on commitments, like San Pedro’s Central Booster Station 2, which is intended to serve elevated barangays. Sadly, until today the local government has remained mum on the San Pedro residents’ problems.

Similar stories have emerged nationwide where social media users have branded PrimeWater “mediocre” and “profit-driven.” The Commission on Audit has flagged operational lapses, noting San Jose del Monte’s water district plummeted from a P53.6 million profit in 2018 to a P5.3 million loss in 2020 under PrimeWater’s management. San Pedro’s SPWD, once efficient, has seen a similar decline.

I consider President Marcos Jr.’s directive for an LWUA probe a bold move, signaling that the consumer welfare outweighs corporate greed, even for a family as powerful as the Villars. This investigation acknowledges the severity of PrimeWater’s failures and sets a precedent for accountability in business.

However, a legislative probe should also follow to fully address the systemic issues and amplify the voices of the affected communities.