House probe sought into Villar-owned PrimeWater's service issues

MANILA, Philippines — A House leader has called for a legislative inquiry into Villar-owned PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., which has taken over water services in several cities and drawn complaints over service disruptions and high rates.

House Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun, representative of Zambales’ 1st District, expressed dissatisfaction with PrimeWater’s continued delays in improving water services in Subic.

In a statement on Tuesday, April 29, Khonghun said persistent reports of poor service in his hometown and other areas like Bulacan merit a congressional probe.

He said he will file a resolution for a “full-blown congressional investigation” into PrimeWater’s operations when Congress resumes in June.

“I’ll be filing a congressional investigation para sa lahat ng PrimeWater sa buong Pilipinas when our session starts,” he said.

Khonghun first voiced his frustration in a Facebook post on April 21, saying Subic had given PrimeWater “enough time to improve their services.” After the post was taken down, he reuploaded it as an image.

“Sabi n'yo last meeting pandemic is the reason kaya may backlog kayo sa development,” he said in his post. (You said in the last meeting that the pandemic is the reason you have a backlog in development.)

The House leader said residents of Subic have long criticized PrimeWater for inconsistent supply, slow service restoration after outages and its “failure to deliver promised improvements.” 

Multiple emergency disruptions

A quick scan of PrimeWater Subic’s Facebook page shows frequent advisories on service interruptions — some scheduled, others due to emergencies.

In April alone, Subic saw four emergency service interruptions, many of which lasted nearly the entire day, from early morning until before dinner. These added to the discomfort residents already face due to the extreme heat following the end of the amihan season.

On April 13, the water supply was disrupted in four barangays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. due to a motor control repair at the San Isidro Booster Station. 

The next day, April 14, a disturbance affected seven barangays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., caused by the pullout and installation of a pump and motor at Mangan-Vaca Well 6.

On April 23, residents in three barangays experienced low water pressure to a complete outage, reportedly due to power supply issues. 

This was followed by another emergency interruption on April 24, which lasted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and affected seven barangays due to a leak repair. 

A similar trend was observed in March, with one incident even affecting PrimeWater’s entire service coverage in Subic.

“Although you are not under the LGU of Subic, PrimeWater, may responsibility kayo sa tao pero now sobra na,” Khonghun said. 

(Although you are not under the LGU of Subic, PrimeWater, you still have a responsibility to the people — but this is too much already.)

Not politically motivated? The campaign season has also brought renewed online attention to PrimeWater’s issues, with discussions growing louder as Rep. Camille Villar (Las Piñas, Lone District) eyes her mother’s Senate seat. 

According to Khonghun, the move to investigate PrimeWater stems not from politics, but from a duty to hold service providers accountable for failing Filipino consumers.

“This is not about politics. It’s about justice to the consumers. Sobrang dami na kayo pinahirapan. Sa mga pangako na hindi nyo tinutupad,” he said. (You’ve made too many people suffer — with all the promises you’ve failed to keep.)

San Jose del Monte City's case 

In San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, the water district board of directors moved to pre-terminate its joint venture with PrimeWater in a resolution dated April 3, citing the company’s failure to meet households’ water needs. 

Due to the consistent water disturbances, the city has had to increase its monitoring of sanitation risks to prevent potential waterborne diseases caused by the lack of accessible clean water.

The city government is reportedly set to investigate its joint venture with PrimeWater, which recently announced the completion of the Bulacan Bulk Interconnection Point 2 to enhance water access in the province.

PrimeWater is owned by Manuel Paolo Villar, Camille’s brother. The private firm controls and manages water services for over 500,000 households across more than 100 districts nationwide. These include Batangas, San Pedro in Laguna, Camarines Norte, Cabanatuwan City and Sorsogon City.