-f
Hitnr: EfldaPCampos
Solon urges review of water
supp
By JovEE MARTE N. DELACRUZ
G the expansion of Metro
Manila water concessionaires
I \ to provincial water districts, a
member of the House Committe€ on
Metro Manila Development on Mon-
day asked the Philippine Competition
Commission (PCC)to scrutinize and
reviewthe contracts of water conces-
sionaires in the country.
Bagong Henerasyon Party-list
Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy said
PCC should regulate the provision of
water services nationwide and guard
the public against monopolies.
"Many are unaware that Manila
Water and Mayniladalso operate out-
side Metro Manila. They have joint
ventures in other watei districts,"
Herrera-Dy said.
I
nusine-sdllirnDr
t @ioveemafie
She asked the PCC to formulate
a water resources anti_monopoly
frameworkto regulate the contracts
pertainingtowaterservicesthrough-
out the country.
" In the absence of an existing na-
tionalwaterregulatorycommission,
the PCC is the closest thingwe have
to a government agency that can
somehow be a countercheck bn the
\\p4qa,-B/tt
business practices of the powerful
water concessionaires," Herrera-Dy
in statement.
a
Herrera-Dy said Maynilad also
covers the cities of Cavite, Bacoor
and lmus, and the towns of Kawit,
Noveleta and Rosario. MaYnilad is
also in Cagayan de Oro because of
' UtilitiesAdministrationhasthecur-
the privatization ofthat city's water
services, according to the House as-
sistant majority leader.
Heirera-Dy said Manila Water
has joint ventures with tbe water
districts of Boracay, Tanauan in
Batangas, Pagsanjan andVictoria in
Laguna, Calbayog in Samar, SanJose
in Nueva Ecija, Calinog, Lambunao,
llagan City, San Fabian, Manaoag,
and Calasiao in Pangasinan, as well
as in Bulacan and Leyte.
She said the Public-Private Part-
nership (PPP) Center of the National
Economic and DevelopmentAuthor-
ity isbiddingouttwo PampangaWa-
ter Supply Proiects and the Baggao
Water Supply Project.
"Iwould notbe surprised if either
or both Man ila Water and Maynilad
are participating or will do so in the
Tuesday,AprilZ20lg E!
biddingforthese PPPwaterprojects,"
Herrera-Dy said.
Herrera-Dy is the author of
House Bill517 seekingthe creation
of aWater Regulatory Commission.
"Some would say the LocalWater
rent regulatorymandate, but a closer
lookat Presidential Decree 198 on the
LWUApowers will shbw this agencY
has zero authority on monopolistic
behavior. The waier districts just
furnish the LWUA copies of their
joint venture agreements," the law-
maker said.
The charter provisions of the
LWUA are contained in Title III of
the Provincial Water Utilities Act
of ].973.
"Back in 1973, there was no Ma-
nila Wdter and no Maynilad, but
now. 43 years later, these two wa-
ter firms are powerful forces. There
are no other companies like them.
They are effectively a duopoly in the
same way that Globe and Smart are
iD the relecommun ications sector,
and their parent companies are the
same owners," she said.