• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. admitted Dec. 16 that PrimeWater’s performance in the city is “bad”, and he hopes that the reported takeover of the new owner could improve the delivery of service to about 14,000 consumers.
He said the Cadiz City Water District (CCWD) entered into a 25-year joint venture agreement (JVA) with PrimeWater in 2019, when the city’s water consumers numbered around 8,000.
Escalante said that PrimeWater’s performance was good the first few years, but due to the city’s progress and the increasing demand for water and the number of consumers, currently at 14,000, the company can no longer keep up.
He said he hopes the new owner could improve the service, noting it is not easy to just terminate the contract with PrimeWater.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Himamaylan, meanwhile, approved a resolution requesting PrimeWater-Himamaylan to immediately inform the city government on the status of their ownership and acquisition by another company.
“This request for a public disclosure and clarification in relation to the alleged change in ownership is made in the interest of transparency and public information,” Vice Mayor Justin Gatuslao, who introduced the resolution, said in a post Dec. 16.
“It is made to ensure that the city government and consumers are fully informed, and that service continuity, and consumer protection remain safeguarded,” he added.
Reports from Manila said that tycoon Lucio Co, who owns Puregold and S&R, among others, has acquired 100 percent of PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. (PWIC), owned by the Villar Group.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier ordered an investigation into the operations of PWIC, following complaints of bad service and exorbitant water rates. The company has entered into more than 70 JVAs with water districts all over the Philippines, including in Bacolod and Negros Occidental. | CGC
