Migrante Philippines protested outside the San Jose del Monte (SJDM) Philippine National Police Station on February 12 to condemn the arrest of Engineer Even Calajate. He was arrested on February 11 on a perjury charge filed by five supporters of current SJDM mayor Rida Robes. The case was based on his testimony in the Senate public hearing in November 2025 on PrimeWater’s failed water service. Calajate’s testimony exposed PrimeWater’s widespread control over several local water districts through Joint Venture Agreements (JVA) between 2017 and 2019. He exposed in the hearing the details on how Mayor Rida Robes and her husband, Representative Arthur Robes, facilitated PrimeWater’s entry into SJDM.

Various groups visited Engr. Calajate in detention after the protest. They held a candle-lighting that evening at the San Jose Workers Church to reiterate their call for his immediate release. Engr. Calajate was freed on February 13 after posting bail.

Engr. Calajate, 77, is a former Chairman of the Board of the San Jose del Monte Water District, as well as Alliance for Consumer Protection president, SUKI convenor, and Water for the People Network (WPN) member. He worked for nearly a decade with consumer groups through public hearings, forums, and assemblies to defend the people’s right to affordable and quality basic services, especially water. He was among the first to question PrimeWater’s takeover of the SJDM Water District.

The Alliance for Consumer Protection and WPN denounced the arrest of Engr. Calajate. They said the incident mirrors the NBI’s 2018 arrest of Councilor Irene Del Rosario while she was on duty in the session hall, after she criticized the privatization of water service in SJDM and the role of the Robes couple in ensuring PrimeWater’s entry into the city. Del Rosario is a known pro-consumer advocate for the right to water services.

According to Migrante Philippines, Engr. Calajate’s arrest is a repressive measure and a warning to anyone who dares question deals that favor big corporations. It is part of the state’s broader framework of neoliberal policy which surrenders basic services like water to the control of a few businesses while suppressing people’s resistance.

The People’s Rights Network, Samahan at Ugnayan para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (SUKI Network), Seafarers of the Philippines, Pro-People Engineers and Leaders (PROPEL), Kabataan Partylist, and Kadamay likewise expressed condemnation.