Water troubles

Water surprisingly has become a major election issue as the midterm campaigns wrap up.

One case involves a hotly contested body of water; while another is about the supply of potable household water.

In either case, water as a political issue is being used to either knock down or push up the survey rankings certain senatorial candidates.

The water issue, however, is being felt far more acutely by those candidates ranking in the bottom six or precariously just outside the so-called “Magic 12.”

But this doesn’t mean that those ranking relatively safe aren’t worried the water issue won’t affect their political fortunes.

Proof of this is that one of the Senate frontrunners was forced to claim that all along he had been fighting for the country’s rights in the body of water we call the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

A politicking maneuver he obviously took from a lower-ranking Senate hopeful who adroitly used the WPS as well as the China issues to bolster his chances.

Aghast critics of both candidates, however, raised their communal eyebrows on their self-righteous claims.

But being self-serving is perhaps understandable, even if a tad hypocritical. No candidate for the Senate can ignore or even endure blowback from a largely anti-China electorate.

Not surprisingly, China itself frowned on being made a major midterm election issue, vehemently warning against it.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun categorically warned “individual politicians in the Philippines not to hype up issues related to China, make something out of nothing, or seize the opportunity to profit.”

But China’s self-serving concerns fell on deaf ears.

Nevertheless, such arguments bring us to the relevant point that as this midterms winds up, major issues are refreshingly routing standard false triumphalist promises, stale TikTokish song-and-dance routines, and comedy-bar misogyny.

Similar points may also be raised about the other major issue involving water — that of potable water being barely available to large swaths of the electorate.

Last week, the Palace announced a thorough investigation into public complaints against billionaire Manny Villar-owned PrimeWater, which is a major water service provider in CALABARZON, Northern Luzon, and some parts of the Visayas.

Vice President Sara Duterte dubbed the PrimeWater investigation as being politically motivated, coming as it did after she had endorsed senatorial wannabe Camille Villar, formerly on Marcos’ senatorial slate.

The Palace promptly rejected Ms. Duterte’s claim, insisting the PrimeWater probe was a long time coming since the complaints against it started during her father’s strongman regime.

But while the seemingly politically charged PrimeWater probe may be excused as another instance of the ramped-up Marcos-Duterte hostilities, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

In fact, it can be said the PrimeWater probe is the icing on the cake to rumors going around the campaign grapevine that the exploitation of PrimeWater’s troubles was a matter of time.

From what I have gathered, it seems that way before the Palace took notice, various senatorial camps had been eyeing PrimeWater’s troubles to bolster the standings of their candidates in the affected regions.

Here, the tactical ploy seems to be the working assumption that the serious blowback against the Villar-owned PrimeWater would be decisively useful, particularly in areas where the water firm operates.

As to why senatorial camps would use loud public complaints against another candidate, it’s just another case of bruising Philippine politics as usual: a candidate’s woes with the electorate is another candidate’s vote advantage.

Consequently, Ms. Villar’s camp is presumably countering those threats against her by seeking crucial support elsewhere, such as by allowing Ms. Duterte into the picture. But the success of the Vice President’s endorsement will only be known after the polls.