📷: PrimeWater Dasmariñas City – DWD | FB
By Diego Morra
Residents of Dasmarinas City, Cavite have every right to complain about Primewater, the Villar-owned company that secured more than 400 joint ventures with local water districts nationwide when Mark Villar, now a senator, was appointed public works secretary by the unlamented detained ex-president Rodrigo Dutere and ruled the roost for more than five years.
They are asking why the joint venture of Primewater and the Dasmarinas City Water District (DCWD) has not been scrapped by Mayor Jenny Barzaga owing to thousands of complaints about water shortage, with residents suffering from limited water supply, in some instances lasting for barely an hour each day. The good mayor promised to settle the issue with Primewater after the 2025 elections but nothing positive has happened. The mayor’s son, Rep. Kiko Barzaga, vowed to solve the problem in October. Still, no dice.
Like in many Primewater joint ventures, like in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, the Villar company only increased water tariffs but failed to redeem its promise to provide water 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Primewater actually worsened the situation as it has not improved water quality and failed to provide septage facilities that are standard components of any joint venture with local water districts.
Yet, the city government did a good turn for Primewater when it spent P19 million for pipe laying at Gawad Kalinga, Sampaloc 3, Mabuhay Homes 2000, Mabuhay Site, Paliparan 2 and Paliparan 3, and residents complained that the project should have been undertaken by the joint venture of the DCWD and Primewater. Apparently, members of the DCWD board of directors are close to the Barzagas, but this should not mean that the city government must subsidize the activities of the DCWD, which is technically a private body. The logical source of funds should be the revenues shared with Primewater.
The Commission on Audit (COA) found out that the DCWD disbursed P11 million as incentives for DCWD officers and promptly disallowed. The money, until now, has not been returned. A total of P766,240 was also spent by DCWD on behalf of the Southern Tagalog Association of Water Districts (STAWD) and the Cavite Provincial Association of Water Districts (CPAWD), ostensibly for a yearend assessment at the Orchard Golf and Country Club. The money was used to pay for the venue, food, giveaways and prizes for best costumes and games. These expenses are not included in the DCWD budget, residents claimed.
In 2023, P1.6 million in bonuses and incentives were given away to board members of the DCWD, a consultant and DCWD officers and employees without any legal basis, city residents alleged. In the same year, P1.2 million was also set aside for a training session on gender issues in Boracay for the board members, consultant and employees from December 27 to December 31. A private travel agency secured a deal for the training package, which charged P14,300 in airfare per passenger, P13,300 per night at a Premiere room at Hennan Hotel and P1,500 dinner buffet for 41 persons.
Water consumers are also questioning why the water district spent P6.7 million in advertisements, sponsorships and financial and medical assistance to DCWD employees, scholars, schools, church and court employees. These expenses, they argued, do not align with the mandate of the DCWD but they fit perfectly with the need of politicians to maintain the support of their ward leaders. In any case, Dasmarinas City residents want the Barzagas to come clean and tell their constituents why money flows out of the DWCD for the benefit of its own personnel while water consumers have to pay with an arm and a leg for water from Primewater of the Villars that, like Godot, never comes.
Until the Barzagas come clean on this matter, particularly the greenhorn congressman Kiko, disenchantment will continue to batter the Barzaga dynastic rule in Dasmarinas City, where the family has had an iron grip on local politics since 1998. It is time for Kiko to make a bigger splash on his campaign against corruption by zeroing in on the home front, the city that may eventually have an exquisite desire to kick out overstaying but ineffective bureaucrats and lawmakers. Caterwauling daily at Batasang Pambansa certainly won’t solve the issues raised by furious Dasmarinas residents.
