A party-list lawmaker said the water services sector must be open to at least three more players to promote competition for better service delivery.
Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera made the statement after the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) revoked the resolution extending the concession agreement with Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. to 2037.
Herrera attributed this development to President Rodrigo Duterte’s strong political will “to stand up for the Filipino people” against these water companies.
“Were it not for the intense pressure from President Duterte and Congress, MWSS would not have canceled the resolution onerously extending the water concessionaires’ contracts to 2037. Now, the MWSS contracts with Manila Water and Maynilad expire in 2022,” the veteran legislator said.
“Our war against Manila Water, Maynilad and MWSS is not yet over.”
“But our war against Manila Water, Maynilad and MWSS is not yet over. The water services sector must be opened up to at least three more players and certainly not the likes of Manila Water and Maynilad who have been milking the Filipino people for profits all these years with the aid of the MWSS,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
She said Manila Water and Maynilad, being public utilities, should voluntarily open to public scrutiny their books from 1997 to present if they do not want to be disqualified from future bidding.
“They have dried up the Filipino people’s well of patience.”
“Enough is enough. They have dried up the Filipino people’s well of patience. We want a meticulous audit of the MWSS water contracts. We want every name, every signature, every initial, every person who had any role in the canceled MWSS resolution charged and prosecuted,” Herrera said.
“If there was any kind of bribery and other forms of graft and corruption at play, the more that these unfaithful public servants and corporate officials should be prosecuted,” she noted.