THE Senate Committee on Public Services has decided to first refer to a technical working group the bills granting new franchises to the two biggest private water concessionaires, Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Company.
According to panel chairman Sen. Grace Poe, the committee will first review the proposed franchises pending submission of more documents by the water concessionaires.
They are being asked to submit a list of the sources of their water supply, the timeline for completion of their water sources and the documents related to the setting up of their sewerage systems. The latter has been one of the issues most frequently raised by critics of Maynilad and Manila Water, who are seen as being too slow in providing for comprehensive sewage systems while touting mainly their clean water supply improvements.
Poe said the franchise bills merit full review to ensure that the private firms are obliged to ensure a steady supply of clean water at fair rates.
This summer, water supply did not suffer crippling disruptions as in previous years, but, Poe noted, it was not because the concessionaires completely delivered on their customers’ needs, but because business and economic activities retreated in the pandemic.
At Wednesday’s committee hearing, lawmakers also wanted to know why the validity of the revised concession agreement of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) of Maynilad and Manila Water lapses 2037, even though their franchise is being extended until 2046.
In her opening statement, Poe cited the assertion of the World Health Organization that “access to safe water, sanitation, and hygienic conditions are essential in protecting one’s health during the pandemic.
“With such a finite resource and an ever-increasing population, water shortage has always been a threat to health and economy globally. In the Philippines, the looming water crisis is characterized by constant supply interruption, lack of potable water, and higher water rates,” Poe added. Poe noted that Maynilad and Manila Water “came into the picture when the government was unable to meet the water demand in the country. Through a concession agreement in 1997, we entrusted the delivery of water and sewerage services to these private companies.”
Poe said the hearing she called was meant “to understand how the recently revised concession agreements and the grant of a congressional franchise will be beneficial to the consuming public.”
Lawmakers, she added, “also want to know what is our guarantee that these commitments will be fulfilled…We need to ensure that safeguards are in place with the hope of not repeating the mistakes of the past.”
Poe also sought “updates from MWSS on the master plan and the progress of developing new water sources to augment supply and meet the increasing demand for water.” Butch Fernandez