On April 25, various groups held a press conference and noise barrage to condemn the poor water service of Primewater in San Jose Del Monte City (SJDM). People’s Rights Network led the protest with participants from the Alliance for Consumer’s Protection (ACP), Water for the People Network (WPN), Koalisyong Makabayan, Gabriela Women’s Party-list, Bayan Muna Party-list, Kabataan Party-list, Migrante Philippines, and various local organizations in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

SJDM residents have experienced a series of problems with water service since the establishment of the joint venture between Primewater and the San Jose Del Monte Water District in 2018, according to the groups. They face the daily choice between “water or sleep”–whether to queue all night to fetch buckets of water for the day’s use, or sleep and endure having no water the next day. Infrequent supply of water aside, the water is murky and not potable, and service fees are very high.

They called for an end to the privatization of water service in SJDM and in all districts and municipalities nationwide, to reject the harmful joint venture agreement and public-private partnership with the oligarchs who are greedy for power and money. They also called on voters not to vote for candidates involved in and connected to privatization and pro-capitalist policies that only enriched a few to the detriment of the majority of poor consumers.

In this regard, the groups put forward their demands: First, restore the management and operation of water in SJDM to the local water district; second, the government should provide sufficient jobs and livelihood for the people of San Jose, support local industries, expand support for small and medium-sized businesses, and develop agriculture to create enough jobs and livelihood for the people of San Jose; and third, oppose the conversion of agricultural land and ensure the nation’s food security.

Primewater Infrastructure Corporation is a company owned by the big comprador bourgeois Villar family.

Across the Philippines, Primewater already controls 161 water districts from cities and municipalities through joint venture agreements. Like in SJDM, the company is facing various complaints due to poor service.