MANILA, Philippines – For three days in December 2024, there was no water in a private subdivision in Caloocan.
It was the longest water interruption that Jopay Adille, 57, remember suffering under Villar-owned water utility firm PrimeWater. Adille said she lived in Tierra Nova for 27 years.
“Nakakainis lang, nakakapangdismaya dahil sa kabila ng tatlong araw naming walang tubig, continuous ‘yung bayad namin,” Adille told Rappler. “Tapos lumaki pa ‘yung mga bills.”
(It’s just so irritating and disappointing because even after we had no water for three days, we still had to pay. And the bills even got bigger.)
Even before that — and well after — residents of Tierra Nova in Barangay Bagumbong have been used to regular water interruptions for years. The interruptions can be erratic, but some pattens have emerged.
Residents say water stops running by night and during the weekends. There’s usually water in the morning, but even then, this is not always guaranteed and it’s not completely clean.
Adille is among the petitioners demanding the termination of the water supply services of PrimeWater in their subdivision. The petition garnered over 300 signatures, said Adille.
“Since time immemorial, the water supply services of PrimeWater and its predecessor, Northwell, have been the subject of never-ending complaints and discussions by the residents of our subdivision,” the petition read. It added, “Enough is enough.”
Once they get enough support from other homeowners, the next step is filing the complaint before the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).
Tierra Nova is in the northern part of Caloocan, near the boundary of Meycauayan, Bulacan, where PrimeWater has a joint venture agreement with the local water district. Caloocan is part of the west zone of Metro Manila where Maynilad serves as the water concessionaire.
Adille said that when they complained to PrimeWater, they were referred to Maynilad.
“[B]asta sinasabi lang po nila sa amin si Maynilad daw po ang nag-co-control,” Adille said. “‘Yun po ang sinasabi nila sa amin. Eh bakit po si Maynilad eh sa inyo ho kami — kayo po ‘yung naniningil sa amin, kayo po ‘yung nagbibigay ng tubig sa amin?”
(What they tell us is that Maynilad is the one that controls water supply. That’s what they tell us. But why Maynilad when they’re the ones — they’re the ones who charge us, they’re the ones who supply water to us?)
Recent water bills of Tierra Nova residents that Rappler saw were all from PrimeWater.
Danilo Bariso Jr., president of the homeowners’ association, said their supply now comes from Maynilad but “ang nag-ma-manage pa rin po ay ‘yung PrimeWater (but it is still being managed by PrimeWater).”
Keeping head above water
By now, residents in Tierra Nova had been used to storing water in drums and filtering water that comes from the faucet.
Outside his home, Eduardo Torres, 67, showed his recent billing from PrimeWater: P4,648.64 for a four-person household.
“Mayroon akong dalawang drum na nakatabi, hindi namin ginagalaw,” Torres said. “Mayroon akong water purifier.” (I keep two drums of water that we don’t use. I have a water purifier.)
From his experience, Torres said that when he’s not able to pay the bill on time and they’re cut off from the water supply, they have to go all the way to Mandaluyong at PrimeWater’s office to pay their dues.
“Minsan kulang kami, delayed ang bayad, mabilis silang pumutol,” Torres said. “So hindi ka puwedeng magbayad sa mga pay center. Kailangan pumunta ka sa kanila.”
(Sometimes when we’re short and payment is delayed, they cut off supply swiftly. You can’t pay at pay centers. You need to go to them.)
Torres said he is one of the signatories of the petition.
Despite erratic service, in 2024, PrimeWater secured a 10-year extension of their Certificate of Public Convenience from the National Water Resources Board.
This allows PrimeWater “to increase water rates, to operate and maintain a waterworks system” within Tierra Nova in the next 10 years, NWRB’s letter to PrimeWater dated July 18, 2024, said.
Hope rides on mounting criticism
PrimeWater has been in hot water since their poor service drew public attention this campaign season. This was after Rappler reported the grievances of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan residents against PrimeWater, when voters were asked about their urgent concerns in their community this election season. Since then, the Bulacan town has moved to issue notice of intent to pre-terminate their joint venture agreement with the water utility company.
The uproar, and the support, that Bulacan residents gathered had been empowering for other people in different parts of the country who had been suffering water interruptions and high bills for many years.
“Akala nga namin dito lang samin (I thought we were the only ones affected),” Wennelyn Villacorte, 50, told Rappler.
The Caloocan resident added: “Pero hindi pala. Parang lahat pala ng Prime, kahit sa mga ibang lugar, ‘yun din ang problema. Gaya ng Bulacan.” (But it’s not the case. It looks like all areas managed by PrimeWater, even in other areas, have the same problem. Like in Bulacan.)
Villacorte shared that her family had taken to storing water in drums. Sometimes, they would buy a drum of water at P60 from water delivery trucks.
A representative from the Office of the Vice Mayor in Caloocan told Rappler in a message that they are “committed to assisting the Tierra Nova residents in transmitting their petition to the NWRB as part of our efforts in empowering our constituents in seeking redress for their grievances.”
On Monday, May 5, Senator Risa Hontiveros called for a Senate investigation on agreements between private water utility firms and local water districts. The Makabayan bloc did as well in the House of Representatives.
The issue has reached Malacañang, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordering a probe into PrimeWater. Weeks after the issue blew up, PrimeWater issued an official statement saying they welcomed any opportunity for an “open and meaningful dialogue.”
Adille said they have become more hopeful now that they can push the petition to the concerned authorities. What they want is water supply distributed by a more reliable utility firm once PrimeWater services are terminated in their subdivision.
“Sumaya kami,” Adille said of what happened in Bulacan. “Nagkaroon po kami ng pag-asa na kaya nila, kaya din natin.” (We were happy. We had hope that if they can do it, we can also do it.) – Rappler.com