House probe of PrimeWater sought

A RESOLUTION calling for a congressional probe into the Villar-led PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. and its joint venture agreements with local water districts was filed at the House of Representatives, following persistent complaints over service quality.

Filed on Thursday, House Resolution No. 22 seeks an investigation into PrimeWater’s agreements with local water districts over alleged issues affecting water access, with the end view of establishing a regulatory framework to ensure transparency and accountability among water providers.

“Water is life, not just a business,” Zambales Rep. Jefferson F. Khonghun, who authored the resolution, said in a statement in Filipino. “Access to safe, clean, and affordable water is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right.”

Mavic Chavez Ching, head of public relations at Prime Asset Ventures, Inc., the parent firm of PrimeWater, said the water company has yet to issue an official statement.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in late April ordered the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to investigate PrimeWater following complaints of service disruptions, including inconsistent water access. Malacañang will release LWUA’s report on Friday, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire B. Castro said on Wednesday.

PrimeWater oversees and operates water services for over 1.7 million households, providing about 500 million liters of water per day to its more than 100 districts nationwide. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio