The Marcos administration is not rushing to cancel PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp.’s joint venture agreements with local water districts despite calls from progressive groups and ongoing government investigations into the company’s operations.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro stressed on Friday, May 9, that the Palace respects due process and will assess all complaints and findings before moving to scrap the agreements.
“Unang-una po, ang Pangulo at ang administrasyon ay naniniwala po sa due process. Hindi po tayo laging may kasabihang ‘cut the process,’” Castro said during a Palace briefing.
“So, aalamin po natin lahat kung ano ba, kung may anomalya, kung anuman ang pagkukulang, at ano pa iyong dapat na ipahinto,” she added.
Her remarks came after former lawmakers from Bayan Muna Partylist filed a formal complaint against PrimeWater and urged the Palace to revoke all its joint venture agreements with state-run water districts, citing longstanding issues associated with the company’s operations, particularly in areas like San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, where residents have complained of unreliable water supply, contaminated water, and exorbitant rates.
Castro confirmed that the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) is already conducting an investigation into the mounting complaints and assured the public that the Palace is taking the matter seriously.
“Ngayon po ay nagsasagawa po ng imbestigasyon ang LWUA, at any time soon po ay maaari pong magbigay ng mensahe patungkol po dito,” she said.
“At kung mayroon pa pong mga tao na nagrireklamo, may mga ahensiya, may mga government agencies na umaayon sa ginagawa po ng Pangulo patungkol po sa pag-iimbestiga, particularly sa PrimeWater, iyan po ay ating wini-welcome dahil ibig pong sabihin, ang aksyon pong ginawa ng Pangulo ay hindi lamang po pamumulitika,” she added.
“Tandaan po natin, ang estimated po na sinasabi na naaapektuhan po ng hindi magandang serbisyo ng PrimeWater ay umaabot na po sa 16 million na katao. So, kailangan lang po talaga itong mabilisang maaksyunan,” Castro stressed. (TCSP)
