Wazzup Pilipinas!?
For the people of Camarines Norte, water has become both a precious commodity and a symbol of betrayal. What was once promised as a partnership for progress has morphed into a prolonged nightmare of deficiency, deception, and despair.
After nearly a decade of subpar service, damning audit reports, and mounting cries from suffering communities, the Camarines Norte Water District (CNWD) has finally issued a pre-termination notice to PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., the Villar family’s water concessionaire. But for many residents, it's a case of "too late, too slow"—and possibly too entangled to escape.
“We feel completely trapped,” said Oliver Pardo of Sarakduhan, a grassroots consumer group named after the local term for “fetching water.” “We don’t even know where this is going anymore.”
The Cost of a Flawed Deal
The joint venture agreement (JVA) signed in 2016 between CNWD and PrimeWater was, from the very beginning, riddled with questionable clauses. State auditors have consistently flagged overpriced capital expenditures, poor service delivery, and alarming gaps in the contract’s protective mechanisms for consumers.
By 2023, a Commission on Audit (COA) report found that PrimeWater spent ₱392.9 million in capital expenses—more than three times the ₱121.9 million originally projected by the CNWD. Experts say this kind of bloated spending often finds its way into consumer billing, disguised as justified tariff increases.
“This is how they turn public utilities into profit machines,” said economist JC Punongbayan. “When you pass inflated costs onto consumers, you’re not just pricing water—you’re pricing dignity.”
A Business Built on Broken Promises
The audit’s findings are damning:
Water supply was below target.
Drinking water failed quality standards.
There was zero implementation of septage management.
Households were left to deal with foul-smelling, rusty, and sometimes absent water.
Despite being contractually obligated to provide basic sanitation services by 2019, PrimeWater has failed to deliver. And while residents are billed consistently—some getting monthly bills upwards of ₱700—they’re lucky if they receive even a few hours of water every week.
“It’s a cruel joke,” said Daet resident Elma Gulimlim. “We get water from the tap only twice a month, and still we’re charged hundreds. What are we paying for?”
In Mercedes, a karinderya owner told us she pays children ₱100 daily to fetch water for her eatery. Those children should be in school. Instead, they’re shouldering the burden of a broken system.
“Diyos ko naman,” she cried. “I hope they think of the sacrifices we’re making just to survive.”
A Goliath Above Accountability
PrimeWater is no ordinary corporation. It is part of the Villar empire, controlled by Manuel Paolo Villar and closely linked to Senators Mark and Camille Villar. Their parents, Manny and Cynthia Villar, are both former senators, with Manny currently listed as the country’s richest man.
But despite the family's vast political clout, the company has come under fire nationwide for similar failures in other provinces. From Bulacan to Cavite, complaints range from dry faucets to dirty water. In Camarines Norte, even government offices suffer—bathrooms in the town hall of Vinzons have no running water.
“Between 11 pm and 4 am, we cram all our chores—laundry, dishes, even bathing—because that’s the only time there’s water,” said Estela Adorna, a staff member at the Vinzons municipal office.
A Web of Red Flags Ignored
From 2016 to 2023, audit reports read like a checklist of red flags. No depreciation of ₱681 million worth of public assets was recorded. Revenue-sharing computations were absent. Penalty clauses were missing or unenforced. Non-revenue water—essentially leaks or lost supply—soared above the allowable 5.46%, reaching up to 22% and costing ₱59 million in foregone sales in 2023 alone.
Perhaps most alarming of all, PrimeWater posted a performance bond of only ₱19 million. Auditors calculated it should have been ₱298.6 million—more than 15 times higher. To date, that bond has not been forfeited, despite years of contract violations.
“The public deserves to know who allowed this deal to push through,” said Pardo. “Was there collusion? Negligence? Why wasn’t this stopped sooner?”
Finger-Pointing and Political Amnesia
When the controversy exploded late last year, Governor Ricarte “Dong” Padilla publicly demanded answers. Yet former governor Edgardo Tallado, who was in power when the JVA was signed, claimed he had no hand in the deal—conveniently pointing out he was under suspension at the time.
“Hindi po ako ang nakaupong gobernador noon,” Tallado said. But his long, suspension-riddled tenure left behind questions and scars.
Meanwhile, residents say they were never consulted. Pardo claims the only public consultation about the JVA was held in Manila, far from the communities it would affect.
A Billion-Peso Behemoth vs. a Province in Peril
While PrimeWater boasted over ₱1 billion in income in 2023, CNWD’s books tell a different story. From 2017 to 2019, the water district posted consistent losses. And with asset depreciation unaccounted for, it’s the public that bears the brunt.
In Vinzons, tricycle driver Roger Galvez gets up at midnight to store water. His bill last month? ₱733—for a service he says barely exists.
In Mercedes, children walk for kilometers, carrying gallons of water on their backs—just so households can cook and bathe.
And in Daet, those who can afford it are forced to install their own electric pumps. “If you don’t have a pump, you don’t have water,” Gulimlim said flatly.
The Tide May Be Turning—But Is It Too Late?
Governor Padilla and the CNWD may now be on the offensive, but damage has already been done. For many, it's no longer about refunds or repairs—it's about reclaiming dignity.
“There’s momentum now,” said Sarakduhan’s Joshua Guinto. “But we need more. We need cooperatives. We need accountability. And we need to make sure this never happens again.”
Until then, the people of Camarines Norte remain trapped—paying the price for a deal they never asked for, bound to a partner that broke every promise, and still waiting for the day clean, accessible water is no longer a luxury.
“Ang tubig ay buhay,” Pardo reminds us. “At sa Camarines Norte, parang binawi nila ang karapatang ‘yun.”
(Water is life. And in Camarines Norte, it feels like that right was taken away.)
Wazzup Pilipinas will continue to monitor this developing story and stand with the communities demanding accountability and justice.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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