President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has directed the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to continue investigating what he described as “underperforming” water utilities across the country.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, Marcos said that six million consumers nationwide suffer from poor water service, many of which involve joint ventures with local government units (LGUs).
“Marami kaming natanggap na reklamo na hindi man lang daw umaabot ang tubig sa kanilang mga gripo,” Marcos said.
“Sa lawak ng reklamo, lampas 6 milyong consumer sa buong bansa ang kasalukuyang naapektuhan. Nakita ko na ang report,” he added.
The President stressed that LWUA must take decisive action to address the poor performance of water districts and their private partners.
“Kaya’t ginagawa ko na ang LWUA ang mga nararapat na hakbang laban sa palpak na serbisyo ng mga water districts at kanilang mga joint venture partners,” Marcos said.
“Titiyakin ng LWUA na mailalagay na sa ayos ang serbisyo ng tubig ng milyong-milyon nating kababayan at gawing mas abot-kaya rin ang presyo.”
Marcos further warned that owners of failing water utilities must be held accountable.
“Higit sa lahat, titiyakin na managot ang mga nagpabaya at nagkulang sa mahalagang serbisyong publiko na ito. Hindi ko ito palalampasin,” the President declared.
The remarks were made in front of Senators Camille and Mark Villar, whose family owns PrimeWater Infrastructure Corporation — a company that has faced mounting complaints over poor service and alleged overcharging.
Concerns have also been raised over the questionable increase in PrimeWater’s joint ventures with LGUs during Mark Villar’s tenure as Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Tensions between the Marcos and Villar political camps further escalated after Vice President Sara Duterte — a political rival of President Marcos — endorsed Camille Villar’s Senate candidacy in the 2025 midterm elections, despite her being part of the administration-led Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas coalition and a member of the Nacionalista Party.
The Villar family has yet to issue a statement in response to the President’s remarks in his SONA.