In a press conference last week, the employees of the Bacolod City Water District stated that they felt betrayed by the Board of Directors, condemning the Joint Venture Agreement between the city’s water district and the Villar-owned PrimeWater Corporation.

Both Leny Espina and the Board of Directors stated that the directors ignored the 25,000 signatures of consumers of Bacolod and the disapproval of 15 big barangays on the joint venture agreement.

The employees’ union calls unto all Bacolodnons to join them in the fight for clean and affordable water.

Meanwhile, the director of the employees’ union, Hazaelo Parlan said they are not anti-development but want consumers to be provided 24/7 service and under the government. The Supreme Court has declared that all water districts should be government owned and controlled corporations.

The union also cited the joint venture agreement between PrimeWater and Himamaylan where the employees was reduced from 69 to 10, worried BACIWA will suffer the same fate. 58,000 consumers are expected to be gravely affected by the privatization.

It is also not guaranteed that the joint venture agreeement wil result to a 24/7 Water supply, according to the BACIWA Employees Union (BEU).

Espina also cited the Cabanatuan Water District of having lost income from 2017 to 2019 when it entered into a JVA with PrimeWater, stating that Bacolod will only receive a 35 million peso share under the JVA agreement with PrimeWater.

She also criticized the private company for not being transparent since the employees were only given the terms of reference after the contract had been signed.

Worse, not only will a 12% VAT be added to the expected increased tarriff rates of PrimeWater when it takes over Bacolod, but will the Villar-owned company will use BACIWA as collateral to secure loans form the bank in order to operate it, according to the employees. Such loans will also be shouldered by the consumers, according to BEU Vice President Padilla, and says Prime-Water is a profit-oriented company.

BEU Secretary Iden Villaluz has called the JVA a total buy-out of the water district and total takeover of its operations, maintenance, and administration.

BACIWA management will be given the option to stay or resign as PrimeWater is offering them 250% of their salary multiplied by the number of years they have served the water district if they opt for resignation.