QUEZON, Philippines — Deputy House Leader Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar remains in the fold of the administration’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas, the slate’s campaign manager Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco said Friday, May 2, days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself ordered a probe into the Villar-owned PrimeWater over mounting complaints over its poor service.
“We respect her track record in public service and trust that she, like all our candidates, supports efforts that promote transparency, accountability and the public good. In a Bagong Pilipinas, the welfare of the people always comes first,” said Tiangco.
Tiangco issued the statement ahead of a press conference in Quezon, where Marcos and the 11-person Alyansa slate is set to hold a campaign rally.
“Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas believes that public concerns over water service — whether involving a local utility or a private provider like PrimeWater — deserve to be addressed through proper and transparent channels. Clean and reliable water is a basic need, and any service issues must be reviewed fairly and with urgency. Any inquiry, must be guided by facts and focused on ensuring providers meet their obligations to the people,” said Tiangco.
On April 30, Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro announced in a press briefing that Marcos had ordered a probe into PrimeWater, noting that “bad service has no place in the administration of President Marcos.” Castro later told Rappler that the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), a government-owned and -controlled corporation with supervision over water districts, will initiate the probe.
PrimeWater has joint ventures with nearly a hundred water districts, based on Rappler’s own tally. Civil society organizations estimate the deals to have reached over 130.
The Villars are powerful not just in the water utility industry but across many more industries in the Philippines. Representative Villar’s father, former Senate president Manny Villar, is listed as the richest man in the Philippines according to the Forbes billionaires list. They also have a particular sway in both national and local politics, mainly through the Nacionalista Party, which is also part of the Alyansa.
The Marcos government’s probe into PrimeWater would not be the first indication of schism between the administration and the Marcos clan, and the Villars.
Manny Villar and his wife Senator Cynthia Villar disapproved of the Marcos administration’s decision to arrest and send their close ally, former president Rodrigo Duterte, to the International Criminal Court where he faces charges over crimes against humanity. Senator Mark Villar, Representative Villar’s older brother and Duterte-era public works secretary, has also expressed sympathy for the former president.
Representative Villar then skipped a succession of Alyansa slates, fueling talk that the Nacionalista — or at least the Villars — were bolting out of the administration coalition. Tiangco had repeatedly denied this and said Alyansa was intact.
The Deputy House Speaker then released a campaign ad featuring the endorsement of Vice President Sara Duterte, erstwhile ally of Marcos. At this point, the rift between the powerful Marcos and Duterte clans had turned into an all-out political war, with presidential sister reelectionist Senator Imee Villar bolting out of Alyansa to seek the endorsement of the Vice President.
Castro, in an interview with journalist Christian Esguerra also on April 30, said she had not spoken to Marcos about Camille Villar and her place in the Alyansa and the administration coalition.
“Tingin ko, dapat tanungin ‘yan si Camille Villar — Camille Villar, hindi ba weird ‘yang ginagawa mo?” said Castro, referring to her still being part of Alyansa while seeking a Duterte endorsement.
(Maybe we should be asking Camille Villar — Camille Villar, isn’t it weird that you’re doing this?)
Vote-rich Bulacan and San Jose del Monte were the first to declare investigations into PrimeWater at both the provincial and city levels, following Rappler’s reports on the suffering of Bulakeños since the Villar company took over those services.
Towns have also tried to go to court against PrimeWater to no avail. A 2019 report from the Commission on Audit found that in many cases, government was disadvantaged in their deals with PrimeWater. — Rappler.com