Cancellation of water firms’ concession extension ‘long time coming’ — solon

Buhay Representative Lito Atienza. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The cancellation of the extension of Manila Water Company Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc.’s concession agreements was “long time coming” since their contracts were obtained under “very doubtful” situations.

Such was the remark of Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza on Thursday a day after the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) announced at a House of Representatives’ hearing the cancellation of the firms’ concession agreements.

Atienza said the two concessionaires have long been hoodwinking the Philippine government and the Filipino people.

“Dapat naman, long time coming, dahil matagal na tayong pinagloloko ng dalawang concessionaire,” Atienza said in a forum in Quezon City.

(The cancellation is a long time coming because these two concessionaires have long been fooling the government.)

“Nakuha nila itong kontrata under very doubtful situation. ‘Yung mga conditions talagang one-sided,” he added.

(They got the contracts under very doubtful situations. The conditions are really one-sided.)

The party-list lawmaker also accused the two concessionaires of being “swindlers” for availing “sovereign guarantee” loans from foreign banks, which will oblige the Philippine government to pay should they fail to pay for it.

He asked Manila Water and Maynilad to provide the House a list of all loans granted to them.

“We want a clear picture magkano lahat ang utang ninyo sa ngalan ng mamamayang Pilipino [how much you have borrowed in the name of the Filipino people]. One of the biggest issues here is the contingent borrowings in the name of Philippine government and Filipino people for such services that they have not rendered and they do not intend to render,” Atienza said.

“Pinakamalaking swindle ‘yan [That is the biggest swindle], they do not collect only from us, they borrow money for us but they do not deliver their contract,” he added.

He took note of some commitments of the two concessionaires under the contract that they have not implemented, including the construction of a central waste treatment plant.

“Itanong natin kung ito bang perang inutang niyo, napunta sa sewage treatment plant o kung saang project nyo napunta yan?” Atienza said.

(Let’s ask if the money they borrowed really went in the construction of sewage treatment plant or it went to another project somewhere else?)

Edited by JPV