LAS Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos delivered a privilege speech today calling for urgent congressional action to address serious service gaps and systematic issues in PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., a Villar family-owned water utility accused of providing unreliable, overpriced, and unsafe water services nationwide.
In his speech titled “Tubig ay Karapatan, Hindi Negosyo: A Call for Accountability and Reform in Water Service Privatization,” Santos emphasized that water is a basic human right, not a business opportunity.
He criticized PrimeWater for repeatedly failing to deliver reliable service to millions of Filipino households across the country.
The speech comes amid growing public concern over water access and service quality, and follows directives by the President and the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to investigate PrimeWater’s operations nationwide.
LWUA Administrator Atty. Jose Moises Salonga confirmed that 20–30 water districts under PrimeWater have expressed interest in withdrawing from their agreements due to chronic service failures, highlighting a systemic problem in the privatized water sector.
According to PrimeWater, the Villar-owned water unitlity serves over 1.7 million households and treats more than 500 million liters of water daily.
However, Santos cited widespread consumer complaints from residents in Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Las Piñas, including persistent water interruptions, yellow or foul-smelling water, and unjust billing practices.
These problems, he said, have disrupted daily life, affected schools and hospitals, and burdened families and businesses dependent on continuous water service.
