Malacañang has dispelled speculations that President Duterte is allegedly seeking to install his own oligarch to run the water distribution operations in Metro Manila and nearby areas.
Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the President has railed against the contracts sealed with Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc. due its alleged onerous provisions, and not because he wanted to pass the business to his ally.
“Oh no, definitely not! The main point here is that we should not be entering into onerous contracts,” Andanar said.
On rumors that the Villar family might take over the water operations from Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc., Andanar said: “I don’t think so. I think the purpose here is to send the message to both Maynilad and Manila Water that the President is not accepting this kind of reasoning and this kind of onerous contract.”
In opposing the alleged irregular water deals, Andanar explained the President has demonstrated his zero tolerance on corruption. No one will be spared in the President’s campaign against corruption in government transactions with the business sector, he added.
“This is in fact, doing the business community a favor by telling them that there is no room for corruption in our business industry and under the term of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he said. “There are no sacred cows. You’ve been asking for big fish, and there you go,” he added.
Duterte recently expressed outrage over the alleged onerous and disadvantageous water concession agreements with the two companies, threatening to sue them for plunder and expropriate the water operations.
The two companies have offered to revisit the water contracts and drop their compensation claims following the President’s tirade.
Given such development, the Palace recently said the President would study the practical and legal consequences of the situation before deciding on the next course of action.
Meanwhile, Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar yesterday denied allegations that her husband’s family has vested interest in the review of the water concession agreements with Manila Water and Maynilad.
“The department conducted a disinterested review of the concession agreements and I don’t want to even dignify further by answering further accusations,” she said.
The Justice Undersecretary, wife of Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, is part of the team which conducted the review of the concession agreements and submitted to Duterte the report which pointed out the onerous provisions of the deals.
Reports have said that the Villars could benefit from the review of the concession agreements since the family owns Prime Water Infrastructure Corp.
The Justice Undersecretary pointed out that Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, not her, led the review. “It was the Secretary himself who conducted the review and who issued the memo regarding that to the President,” she said. (Genalyn Kabiling and Jeffrey Damicog)
