IBON Features Vol. XII No. 3

“Mahirap ang tubig dito. Dati may tubig sa maghapon pero unti-unting nawala hanggang sa gabi na lang meron tapos madaling araw, ngayon wala na. Nakikiligo na lang kami sa kapatid ko (Water service here is very poor. We used to have water supply all day but gradually, it became available only during the night, then in the daybreak, until it’s totally gone. We have to go to my sibling’s place to take a bath.),” lamented 37-year old Annabelle Malacas of Barangay 155 who have been residing in the area since she was a child.

Barangay 155 is one of the 16 barangays (village) in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City that have been suffering from a serious water supply crisis for several years now. The crisis is felt from Barangays 142 to 157 affecting around 100,000 residents. According to barangay captain (village chief) Patricio Carpio of Barangay 149, their woes started when private firm Maynilad Water Services Inc. began operating the water system in their area.

“Ang masama, patuloy pa ring naniningil ang Maynilad kahit wala namang tubig (Worse, Maynilad continues to bill the people even if there is no water supply),” added Carpio.

The case of Bagong Barrio adds up to the growing list of complaints against the poor performance of the private concessionaires that took over the privatized Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in August 1997. Maynilad operates the west zone (that includes the affected barangays in Bagong Barrio) while Manila Water Company Inc. manages the east zone.

Water rationing

The lack of water in the communities has resulted in frequent fighting among the residents as they queue for hours for water being delivered by the Caloocan City government and Maynilad. “Minsan, hindi maiwasan ang mga awayan dahil may ilan na nagmamadali at sumisingit sa pila (Sometimes, arguments erupt because some people who are in a hurry cut into the line),” one of the residents told IBON Features.

The Environmental and Sanitation Service (ESS) of the Caloocan City government started rationing water in July 2004 to help the affected barangays cope with the water crisis. ESS has employed seven water tankers, of which three trucks deliver water daily to the 16 barangays in Bagong Barrio. The rest serve other “waterless” areas in the city like 11th Avenue, Talipapa, and Sta. Quiteria.

Al Sta. Maria, head of the ESS, said that the water tankers refill from a pump station in the Poblacion Market (former Plaza II) at 10th Avenue. The 20 horsepower deep-well pump, which is owned and operated by the local government of Caloocan City, draws out 25,000 gallons of water for the water tankers. At times, the trucks also pump water from public fire hydrants located in the city.

“The residents do not pay for the water (being rationed by the city government) because expenses are covered by the city budget,” Sta. Maria explained. He admitted, however, that the ESS-supplied water is not safe for drinking and must be used only for other household purposes.

The ESS initiative aims to augment the water rationing project of Maynilad. According to Herbert Ico, Maynilad-Caloocan officer-in-charge for water rationing, the company rations water with seven deliveries four times a week in Bagong Barrio. The water comes from the public fire hydrants inside the nearby Araneta Subdivision. Maynilad water tankers can each carry 4,000 liters of water, which Ico claims is potable.

But the ESS head clarified that their initiative is independent from the Maynilad project. “There is only regular communication between Maynilad and the city government (regarding water rationing). But there is no formal agreement,” said Sta. Maria.

Hostage

The water rationing, of course, does not substitute for the convenience of individual, 24-hour water supply. Bagong Barrio residents have to line-up for several hours to get their water allocation from the water tankers that come usually at night. Aside from the verbal tussles, the people in the affected areas have to contend with nightly vigils to get their share of the water. It is not uncommon that employees or students in Bagong Barrio miss a day or two from work or school due to lack of sleep.

Once in a while, unemployed elderly members of the households are also forced to spend hours of falling in line for water, exposing them to serious health risks. On 18 August 2005, 76-year old Agripino Samonte of Barangay 155 died of brain aneurism. Samonte had been suffering from high blood, a condition, which his relatives claimed, was aggravated by several days of lack of sleep from fetching water.

Yet, in spite of the problems caused by Maynilad’s inefficiency, the water utility continues to collect the minimum monthly charges from the residents of Bagong Barrio. In a recent public forum organized the Alyansa Sigaw Tubig (AST), a network of the affected barangays and cause-oriented groups in Bagong Barrio campaigning for better water service, residents said that they continue to pay at least P100 per month even though not a single drop of water comes out from their faucets.

“Wala naman kaming magagawa. Baka kung hindi kami magbayad, putulan kami ng Maynilad. At pag nagkatubig na, kailangan naming magbayad ng mas mahal na reconnection fee (We are helpless. If we stop paying, Maynilad might disconnect us from the system. And when the water supply resumes, we will have to pay for a much bigger fee for reconnection),” said Danny Bautista of Barangay 149, an officer of the AST, during the forum.

Indeed, Maynilad has practically held the residents of Bagong Barrio hostage to the unreliable service of the water firm. Worse, according to AST spokesperson Larry Canilao, commercial establishments and businesses around the area continue to enjoy uninterrupted water services from Maynilad while the ordinary folks of Bagong Barrio have to suffer from the supposed lack of water.

“Ipinapakita nito kung ano ang prayoridad ng isang pribadong negosyong katulad ng Maynilad (This shows the priorities of a private business like Maynilad),” Canilao declared.

Not an isolated case

The water supply crisis in Bagong Barrio is not an isolated case. According to Arnold Padilla, national coordinator of the broad-based alliance Water for the People Network (WPN), water services in Metro Manila have not improved, and in most cases, have even deteriorated since the MWSS was privatized in August 1997.

“More than eight years since the takeover of Maynilad and Manila Water, more than 4 million people in Metro Manila are still without water supply and 11 million are without sewerage connection,” Padilla narrated. Yet, the basic water rates have increased by 298% (Maynilad) to 501% (Manila Water) from 1997 to 2005. “The Bagong Barrio case seriously challenges the wisdom of water privatization. Once profits are threatened, water services, no matter how vital, can be readily compromised by companies like Maynilad or Manila Water,” argued Padilla.

Maynilad is currently undergoing financial rehabilitation. Former majority owner Benpres Holdings has decided to abandon Maynilad, leaving its French partner Suez and the MWSS to operate the water firm. Benpres said that Maynilad is not making money and consequently, it was not able to upgrade its services in areas like Bagong Barrio.

The WPN, of which the AST is a member, has questioned the rehabilitation plan of Maynilad before the Branch 90 of the Quezon City regional trial court. “It’s (the rehabilitation) actually a government bailout of an inefficient company at the consumers and taxpayers’ expense. We should not allow Benpres to simply walk out of Maynilad without accounting for its mismanagement of the concession, and all of its obligations to the government and its consumers including the residents of Bagong Barrio,” said Padilla.

Excuses

As early as 2002, Bagong Barrio residents have already brought up the matter with Maynilad officials. At that time, water still flows from the faucets although at a very limited amount and only for a couple of hours a day. In the previous dialogues between Maynilad and barangay officials, the company offered a number of explanations for the lack of water supply in Bagong Barrio: low water supply; numerous leakages in the pipelines; broken water valves; water system adjustment, etc.

Maynilad installed a booster water pump at the corner of Zapote and de Jesus Streets three years ago to address the problem of Bagong Barrio but the lack of water in the communities has not only remained but even deteriorated. Local government officials, including Caloocan City mayor Recom Echiverri and Representative Oscar Malapitan (First District) have also called the attention of Maynilad and the MWSS about the situation in Bagong Barrio but have not produced significant results.

Some residents are even skeptical about the real motives of Mayor Echiverri. “Mukhang di rin naman sya (Echiverri) interesadong ayusin ang problema dahil ginagawa nyang parang campaign propaganda ang pagrarasyon ng tubig (It seems that Mayor Echiverri is not really serious in addressing our problem because he uses the water rationing project as a campaign propaganda),” one of the residents told IBON Features, noting that all the water tankers from the city government bear the name of the mayor.

People’s action

After years of fruitless waiting, the people of Bagong Barrio finally decided to take the matter into their own hands through the formation of the AST in November this year. On 22 November, AST leaders and members trooped to the Caloocan office of Maynilad to protest the neglect of the water firm and demanded an immediate resumption of water services. “We cannot endure another dry Christmas,” declared Canilao during the rally.

Mayor Echiverri joined the protesters as the AST leaders, including the barangay captains, held a dialogue with Maynilad officials led by Jaime Bartolome, technical manager at the firm’s South Caloocan Business Center. Bartolome explained that the water shortage was due to the low water level in Bagbag Dam, elevated location of the barangays, and the increasing number of consumers. Pressed for solutions, Maynilad proposed to readjust the valve settings for stronger water pressure and larger coverage in Bagong Barrio.

Bartolome also declared that the long term solution would be the rehabilitation of the pipeline system in Bagong Barrio. Existing water pipelines are old, denigrated and riddled with numerous illegal connections. However, according to Bartolome, “This plan, of course, is subject to the availability of funds and feasibility of the project.”

Lack of funds is the same old excuse of Maynilad for failing to improve the water system, according to the WPN. “If only the MWSS were reformed by making the state-owned water utility more efficiently and democratically managed, the infrastructure in Bagong Barrio and the rest of Metro Manila could have already been improved a long time ago,” Padilla said.

A long struggle lies ahead

Nonetheless, the people of Bagong Barrio have begun to reap the initial gains of their unity and direct action. Two days after the AST rally, Maynilad announced in a press statement that the water supply in Bagong Barrio had increased by 30% after “valve manipulations” to increase water pressure and improve water supply. Consequently, Maynilad trimmed its water rationing in the communities from eight to two deliveries per week.

A preliminary check by IBON Features confirmed that several households in Bagong Barrio now have water flowing from their faucets from midnight until the early morning. But the people know that they could not yet afford to relax as they still see a long struggle ahead. “Patuloy namin itong babantayan. Ang isinisigaw namin ay 24-oras na suplay ng tubig sa bawat bahay (We shall continue to monitor these developments. We remain firm in our demand for a 24-hour individual water connection and supply),” Canilao declared.

But the question is: Does the present policy of water privatization allow such access for the poor like the majority of residents in Bagong Barrio?

“The long-term solution is people’s control,” Padilla said. “Water belongs to the people; it is a basic necessity, a condition for people to live. Thus, it’s the state’s responsibility to ensure that everyone, with due bias to the poor and marginalized, have access to water. Private corporations, because of their inherent limitations such as their profit-orientation, simply could not perform this task.” IBON Features