BF Homes residents go to court to get water

MANILA, Philippines - A homeowners’ association in Parañaque City asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against real estate developer BF Homes Inc. (BFHI), which reportedly continues to get in the way of water services being provided by the Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI) in the city.

The members of the United BF Homeowners Association Inc. (UBFHAI) said they are hopeful that the Parañaque City Regional Trial Court will prevent the BFHI from coming up with schemes that will derail the water services provided by Maynilad.

Diana Quiros, officer-in-charge of the city’s Homeowners’ Affairs Office, said water is a necessity and the residents have been deprived of this basic need for a long time now.“ It is the obligation of the developer to provide water to the residents. However, BFHI through its water utility company, Philippine Waterworks and Construction Company (PWCC), failed to do so. With the TRO, we expect that Maynilad’s operations will now be continuous,” said Quiros who is also a president in one of the city’s enclaves.

She said the UBFHAI sought the court’s intervention through their legal consultant, Ferdinand Bacorro.

BF Homes has been waterless for more than two decades owing to the inability of the BFHI and PWCC to provide a regular supply of water to residents. BF Homes has more than 10,000 homes in 72 gated enclaves, each one with their own homeowners’ association and are members of the UBFHAI.

To prevent the BFHI from stopping MWSI’s pipe-laying projects in BF Homes by the subdivision’s old managing company, Mayor Florencio Bernabe earlier directed the local police to monitor MWSI work sites.

Last Saturday, the mayor led city and barangay officials together with executives of Maynilad and the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System in the ceremonial opening of the Maynilad water valve at the corner of Vinzon and Aguirre streets in Barangay BF Homes.