By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – PrimeWater Infrastructure Inc. officially took over the operations of the Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) after the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 4 of the city dismissed the petition seeking to nullify the 25-year joint venture agreement (JVA) between the two parties.
PrimeWater vice president Romeo Sabater said that after receiving a copy of the court order dated November 11, the Baciwa Board of Directors gave them the go-signal to start their operations.
“We’re in charge of the operation and management of the water supply system of Baciwa. We formally accepted the takeover of Baciwa. With that, officially, we will be here in the next 25 years,” Sabater said.
Signed last July 17, the JVA was supposed to take effect on Nov. 1, but on Oct. 27, RTC Branch 45 Presiding Judge Phoebe Gargantiel-Balbin granted the temporary restraining order (TRO) sought by Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. and his co-petitioners from consumers group Amlig Tubig.
After the hearing held on Nov. 9, the court issued a seven-page order dated Nov. 11 dismissing the Gamboa group’s petition for declaratory relief and declaration of the nullity of the JVA “for failure to state a cause of action”.
It also lifted the TRO.
“We’re happy with the result of the order coming from the RTC Branch 45. We were vindicated when the TRO was lifted and the motion for writ of preliminary injunction was denied,” said Sabater, who was joined by legal counsel Robel Lomibao.
He further said that in partnership with Baciwa, PrimeWater will “address the water crisis the city is facing right now.”
Sabater said that only 50 percent of residential or domestic consumers in Bacolod have access to Baciwa’s system.
“The other half is getting water elsewhere. This is very inconvenient and very traumatic to consumers of Bacolod. We saw that need and that need should be addressed now. PrimeWater is capable of doing its services to address this concern.”
Sabater assured the Baciwa consumers that initially, PrimeWater will not impose a rate increase in the next 12 months or until Nov. 12, 2021.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Baciwa’s Board of Directors, lawyer Lorendo Dilag, reiterated that the contract, which is expected to bring in over P6 billion in investments from PrimeWater in the next 25 years, is “necessary, practical and beneficial.”
He said that for the first five years, the Manila-based utility firm will pour in P1.6 billion for the development of Baciwa’s water system.
