Malacañang said yesterday it is looking into the possibility of government retaking control of water services in Metro Manila due to a water crisis as a result of the low water level of Angat Dam in Bulacan.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement after Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said that the government should ditch the privatization of water services since there is no water security under privatization.
“We have always asserted that privatization is wrong. We must abandon privatization and government should take over these water utilities to ensure not just water security but also transparency and accountability,” Zarate said.
Panelo said that Malacañang is studying the return of water services in Metro Manila under government control.
“Pinag-aaralan lahat ng makakabuti sa mga kababayan natin. Lahat iyan ay kasama sa pag-aaral,” he said. “Pinag-aaralan lahat ng mga pupuwedeng gawin to solve the problem,” he added.
The water crisis in Metro Manila started in March this year, affecting an estimated 52,000 households, from the critically low water level of La Mesa Dam in Quezon City.
Manila Water spokesperson Jeric Sevilla had said that the water crisis in Metro Manila and nearby provinces will persist until the water level in Angat Dam remains critical.
He also said that service water interruptions lasting as long as 17 hours are already beyond the company’s control. (Argyll Geducos)
