BF residents appeal anew to Malacañang

Residents of areas without water supply in Paranaque and Las Piñas have appealed to President Arroyo anew to help them find a long-term solution to their problems.

In a second petition sent to Malacañang, the residents led by Homeowners Welfare Advocacy Group (HWAG), expressed gratitude to the President but they complained that the action taken by officials is not enough.

HWAG convenor Hernan Juatas said they are grateful for President Arroyo’s action on their first letter to her.

He said it resulted in several meetings of the residents and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems (MWSS) and Manila Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) officials who offered some short-term or indirect solutions to the problems.

Juatas told The STAR that their first petition had prompted the MWSS to activate the main pipelines while Maynilad Water Inc. established water stations.

HWAG which includes thousands of residents from BF Homes Parañaque and BF Resort Las Piñas, said their second petition seeks the opening of more water connections.

The residents urged President Arroyo to allow Maynilad to have full access to the affected subdivisions.

Residents urged Vice President Noli de Castro to help them as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (DUDCC) in their petition to turnover the jurisdiction of their water supply and distribution system to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems (MWSS) which will be filed before the Housing and  Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).

Juatas said Parañaque City Mayor Florencio Bernabe, who met with leaders of homeowners associations last month, will also endorse the petition to at least give it more weight.

Las Piñas and Parañaque subdivision owners living in residential villages built by BF Homes Inc. had long been asking the government to help solve their water problem.

They are pushing for the transfer of control of their water supply and distribution system from the Philippine Waterworks and Construction Corp. (PWCC), which is also run by BF Homes Inc., to the MWSS and Maynilad.

Residents say the developers of BF Homes have failed to provide safe, adequate, and affordable water to the homeowners.