📷: Courtesy of Bayan Muna
Former Bayan Muna Congressman Ferdinand Gaite joined a broad coalition of consumers and sectoral groups in a protest action today in front of the PrimeWater office in Starmall Shaw, to denounce the company’s horrendous water service and the continuing privatization of public utilities.
“PrimeWater has failed the people. For years, residents in service areas like San Jose del Monte have suffered from dirty, undrinkable water, high rates, and water supply that comes for only two hours a day—sometimes in the dead of night. This is a clear violation of the people’s right to accessible, clean, and affordable water,” Gaite stated.
“Sa loob ng pitong taon, tiniis ng mga mamamayan ang maruming tubig, mahal na singil, at halos walang serbisyo. Dapat nang wakasan ang kontrata ng PrimeWater. Dapat panagutin ang mga nagpabaya at nagpasasa sa kita habang naghihirap ang taumbayan,” he added.
The protest action comes after the Sangguniang Panlungsod of San Jose del Monte (SJDM) passed a resolution seeking to terminate its Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with PrimeWater. The move was welcomed by communities and advocates who have long mobilized against the company’s takeover of the once well-performing SJDM Water District.
Gaite emphasized that the SJDM case is only one example of a national crisis caused by water privatization.
“This is not just about San Jose del Monte. From Bacolod to Dasmariñas, Bukidnon to Lucena, we are seeing the same problems—poor service, higher charges, and zero accountability. This is the painful outcome when water, a basic human right, is treated as a business commodity,” Gaite said.
“Ang tubig ay karapatan, hindi negosyo. Ang sistematikong pribatisasyon ng ating mga water district ay nagbubunsod ng pagdurusa sa mga mamamayan habang pinapaboran ang mga oligarkong tulad ng pamilya Villar na may kontrol sa PrimeWater,” he said.
Gaite also warned against attempts to whitewash the ongoing probe ordered by President Marcos Jr. into PrimeWater’s operations.
“We welcome the investigation, but it must be truly independent. We cannot allow this to become another public relations stunt to protect the Villars and their political ambitions,”Gaite stressed.
“Hindi dapat gamitin ang imbestigasyon bilang pampabango sa pangalan ng mga may-ari ng PrimeWater. Kailangang may managot sa kapalpakan at pananabotahe sa serbisyong dapat para sa mamamayan,” he added.
He called on the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) to act decisively on the termination of PrimeWater’s contract in SJDM and urged Congress to revisit and repeal policies that incentivize the privatization of basic services.
“The OGCC must listen to the people of San Jose del Monte. Their suffering is real. Their demand is just. If we continue to allow corporations to control public utilities, we are surrendering our sovereignty and our rights,” Gaite said.
Finally, he urged the public to strengthen the national resistance against water privatization.
“This fight is far from over. We need to unite our struggles across the country to end the corporate capture of our water systems. Let us fight for water services to be made public and ensure that every Filipino has access to clean, safe, and affordable water,” he concluded.
“Ang laban kontra PrimeWater ay laban ng mamamayan. Sama-sama nating igiit ang karapatan sa tubig, at tutulan ang ganid na pribatisasyon sa serbisyong pampubliko. Bayan muna, hindi negosyo!” #
