For more than two weeks, residents of San Jose Del Monte (SJDM), Bulacan have been enduring the interrupted water service in their barangays. The Villar family-owned PrimeWater supplies water to the city.
Aside from this, residents also protested Cynthia Villar’s statement that PrimeWater is allegedly not earning much. She even evaded culpability for her company’s inaction regarding the SJDM residents’ concerns.
Villar’s excuse is that “really elevated” towns like SJDM pose challenges to transporting water upwards. “These are not all the water provider’s fault,” she said.
Villar’s statement received widespread denouncement. One resident called her “thick-faced,” since PrimeWater charged them ₱800 despite the weeks-long water interruption. Others challenged the Villars to just leave the city if PrimeWater is not making a profit in SJDM.
Some residents in Camella Homes in Bulakan, Bulacan have already hung tarpaulins outside their homes with calls for protest against PrimeWater’s poor service. These include statements like “Water ran out. PrimeWater, what now?” and “The streets have water, but our faucets are dry. #ThisIsUsInCAMELLA.”
Because of the situation, Kaypian Elementary School had to buy three large containers to store water for its 2,680 students. The school is also asking for help from students’ parents in fetching water.
According to the Ibon Foundation, contrary to Villar’s statement, PrimeWater earned more than double since expanding its operations to more than 160 districts and municipalities nationwide. Its net profit grew from ₱196 million in 2017 to ₱1.18 billion in 2023.
Water for the People Network (WPN) spokesperson and SJDM resident Leo Espelimbergo said since the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) started, water supply became murky and weak in their area, usually flowing only during sleeping hours.
Worse, PrimeWater raised its water rates from ₱200 per 10 cubic meters (cu. m.) of minimum consumption and ₱27 per additional cu. m., to ₱212 per 5 cu. m. of minimum consumption and ₱41 per additional cu. m. Because of this, the water bill almost doubled, making it unaffordable for SJDM residents, mostly peasants, informal workers, and small business owners.
Residents are calling for free water charges this month since the company has not provided service for more than two weeks.
