When Rappler mounted an election town hall in Bacoor, one candidate for councilor in the neighboring city of Dasmariñas walked in, asked organizers if he could speak, and, without a missing a beat, said that the number one issue that residents of his hometown are grappling with is water outage.
“It has become a major problem up to now because of the way PrimeWater is managing things. They even call it ‘Crime Water,’ sorry to say. There’s a minimum payment being made to PrimeWater, but no water is actually flowing,” Je Denolo said during Rappler’s “Make Cavite Liveable” forum on Saturday, April 12.
It’s not a concern that came out of nowhere. Earlier in the town hall, one question that was raised came from Rappler’s community chat event about issues that Caviteños want their next local leaders to address. Ahmir, a sociology student from the University of the Philippines and a resident of Dasmariñas, said water interruptions had become a way of life for many people in his hometown.
“Every day, we only get water from our taps around 10 to 11 am, and it usually [completely] stops flowing by 10 pm onwards. That’s why we really need to store water whenever possible,” he said.
Problems with such a basic necessity are put front and center this election season as House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar runs a national campaign for senator. PrimeWater is owned by her eldest brother, and some residents can’t help but associate her with the private water firm’s shortcomings.
PrimeWater in Dasmariñas
It was in 2019 when the Dasmariñas Water District entered into a 25-year joint venture agreement with PrimeWater for the “financing, development, rehabilitation, refurbishment, expansion, improvement, operation and maintenance” of DWD. PrimeWater said the partnership was born out of a “common goal of improving the water supply in the City of Dasmariñas.”
But some residents say what happened was the exact opposite.
“It started in mid-2024 and up until now, there’s really no water. We already had a water pump installed. Almost the majority of the houses in our zone now have water pumps,” 23-year-old Dasmariñas native Mark Anthony Madrid told Rappler.
“Honestly, it’s like the payments people make here are becoming useless because their service really isn’t good,” he added.
The 2023 audit report for the Dasmariñas Water District details notable lapses of the joint venture.
The Commission on Audit (COA) said that stipulations in the contract were not enforced by DWD and implemented by PrimeWater, “affecting…the attainment of its objectives,” which include the “uninterrupted 24-hour water supply services to connected customers.”
State auditors also called out PrimeWater in Dasmariñas for its non-action on the necessary repairs and maintenance of pumping stations.
Even though included in the joint venture agreement is the construction of a septage management system, it has not delivered due to delays in the drafting and finalization of the implementing rules and regulations on the part of DWD and PrimeWater.
Additionally, the COA report on DWD indicated that the district had 36.06% non-revenue water, exceeding the allowable rate of 20%.
Non-revenue water is essentially water produced that doesn’t reach a paying customer for whatever reason, so the water district ends up not earning from it. In the words of an Asian Development Bank report, “high levels of NRW typically indicate a poorly managed water utility.”
State auditors said the total revenue loss of DWD was around P134 million in 2023.
Not just Dasmariñas
In Cavite, PrimeWater has established its footing in cities other than Dasmariñas.
The company entered into a joint venture agreement with the water district in Trece Martires and Silang in 2018. A year later, it also found good business in Tagaytay.
The latest COA reports for the water districts in the three cities, however, paint a picture similar to that in Dasmariñas.
Non-revenue water for 2023 in Trece Martires was 21.31%; Silang, 26.31%; Tagaytay, 29.55%. Monetary loss due to NRW based on the audit reports of the four water districts amount to more than P171 million, based on Rappler’s computation.
Concessionaires’ complaints, however, stretch to areas where PrimeWater does not yet control the water district but has presence.
Rowell Camantigue said even in their Villar-owned subdivision in Tanza, water interruptions are common.
“Every Sunday, the water pressure is so weak — only the faucet outside the house has any water,” he told Rappler. “We even have to fetch water from a neighbor whose house is at a lower elevation.”
Election issue
For city council aspirant Denolo, the elections are an opportunity to reignite discussions on Dasmarinas’ water woes.
“Progress in Dasmariñas is continuous, that’s true. But the question is, is the water also continuously flowing from the faucets?” Denolo quipped.
“Maybe we could make amendments through the council, through the local government, if it’s possible to change the contract. Because PrimeWater’s contract with the Dasmariñas Water District is for 25 years,” he added.
Technically, water districts are independent of the local government unit, and the agency tasked to oversee their operations is the Local Water Utilities Administration. The interior department once reminded mayors not to interfere in the operations of water districts, and that their influence can extend only to the appointment of directors.
Still, Rappler has messaged the city mayor’s office about what it thinks it can do to alleviate residents’ woes, but it has yet to respond to us. The Barzagas have led Dasmariñas since 1998.
Nationally, though, residents’ grievances may haunt Representative Camille, the latest in the Villar dynasty to seek a Senate seat. She hopes to replace her term-limited mother Cynthia and join her brother Senator Mark in the 20th Congress. Years ago, that chamber was led by Manny Villar, who is currently out of elective government, but remains the country’s wealthiest man.
Recent surveys show Camille hovering at the edge of the winning circle in the senatorial race.
We asked Camille’s staff if the congresswoman thinks PrimeWater’s issues would affect her election chances. We also sent a message to the customer care email address of PrimeWater, asking why COA reports for water districts in Cavite have flagged the joint venture agreement violations involving the firm. We will update this story once we receive their reply.
For some residents though, water is on the ballot.
“It’s possible that it will be an election issue because they control water supply,” Camantigue said.
“We have an inside joke within my circle here in Dasmariñas not to vote for [Villar],” Madrid added. “Because we may end up having worse water service if she wins.” – Rappler.com