MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday urged the government to release soon the new contracts of concessionaires Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. to distribute water in Metro Manila and nearby areas.
This is so that the water concessionaires will be able to plan out their long term solutions to the water supply in the long term.
“Hindi makakapagplano ng long term solution sa supply ng tubig kapag hindi alam ng negosyante or hindi alam ng gobyerno kung ano duties nila within the next 10, 15, 20 years (The water concessionaires will not be able to plan out their long term solution to the water supply if they or the government do not yet know what their duties are within the next 10, 15, 20 years),” Cayetano told reporters in an interview.
“Sana sa pinakamadaling panahon, itong first quarter ng taon, mailabas yung bagong kontrata at magkasundo (I hope the new contracts will be out as soon as possible, maybe in the first quarter of the year, so that they can agree),” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier offered Maynilad and Manila Water new contracts to distribute water in Metro Manila and nearby areas without what he called “onerous” provisions.
They have to accept the new contracts, otherwise their existing contracts will get canceled, he threatened.
Duterte also said he would order the nationalization of the water distribution system and continue with his plan to prosecute officials of the two firms for economic plunder or large-scale estafa, a non-bailable offense.
The new water distribution contracts were prepared by the Office of the Solicitor General and the Department of Justice.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, however, said the draft documents were still being consolidated.
The President further said in an interview that there were no ready contracts yet to be given to Manila Water and Maynilad.
He also did not have a deadline for the companies to decide, but Duterte maintained that he would not pay a single cent for their compensation claims.