TWO lawmakers yesterday questioned the alleged “haste” by which the House committee on legislative franchises approved the continued operation of the Manila Water Company Inc. (MWCI) and Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad), saying there was even a clear attempt to keep it under wraps as members of the media were not invited to cover the proceedings.
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate questioned said the 25-year franchises to establish, operate and maintain waterworks and sewerage system for commercial purposes were granted even if members of the panel have not even scrutinized the government’s revised concession agreements with MWCI and Maynilad.
The franchises were granted following the Malacañang-led revision of the concession agreements, which no longer treat Manila Water and Maynilad as mere agents and contractors of the Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System (MWSS) but as public utilities which require congressional franchises.
The panel chaired by Rep. Palawan Rep. Franz “Chicoy” Alvarez voted 23-2 to approve MWCI’s franchise under House Bill No. 9313, and 19-2 in favor of Maynilad’s franchise.
Zarate said the “swift grant” of the franchises happened even when the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System-Corporate Office (MWSS-CO) had raised issues on the bills, stressing that the two water companies have yet to account for the environmental charges that they have been collecting since 1997.
“Representatives from the Office of the President should have been invited to discuss the implications of the revised concessionaire agreements between the Duterte administration and the two water concessionaires. We have yet to fully scrutinize the texts and annexes of the new deals and if they are detrimental to Filipino consumers,” he said, questioning the absence of representatives from the Departments of Finance and Justice and the Government Corporate Counsel who negotiated the new water deal.
The militant lawmaker also wondered why the hearing was not even opened to media coverage, which is a stark contrast to the discussions last year on the bills seeking to renew the legislative franchise of ABS-CBN Corp. which was denied by Alvarez’s panel.
“Bakit masyadong minamadali ang pagpasa nito at bakit hindi binukas sa media at sa mamamayan ang mga hearings nito? We recall na noong sa ABS-CBN franchise renewal, pinadaan sila sa butas ng karayom but in full view sa public. (Why the haste in passing this and why was the hearing not opened to the media and the public? We recall that the ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal had to go through the eye of the needle in full view of the public).
Yet, none of that happened in these hearings for the grant of respective franchises of Manila Waters and Maynilad,” Zarate said
Deputy speaker Lito Atienza of Buhay party-list also said the hearing was obviously kept out of the public eye because the approval of the franchises was railroaded.
“I had hoped that the committee chairman and my colleagues would listen to reason and heed the people’s demand for transparency. But they did not. They railroaded the two franchises. The public does not know about this and even the media was not invited to this hearing! Why was it kept a secret? Congress should safeguard public interest above all else, and not hide such things from them. Taumbayan ang direktang maaapektuhan nito kaya dapat alam nila kung ano nangyayari (The people will be the ones affected so they should know what’s happening),” Atienza said.
