BACOLOD City – Members of the Bacolod City Water District’s (Baciwa) workers’ union expressed their opposition on “any form of privatization.”
“We have already a position paper pending at the Board of Directors,” said Baciwa Employees’ Union president Claudio Salmo.
Salmo said the water district management considering the proposal for a public-private partnership is the “beginning of privatization.”
The “unsolicited proposal” was from the Metropac Water Investments Corp., Prime Water Corp. and Manila Water Company, Salmo added.
Baciwa’s Joint Venture Selection Committee started conducting a three-day deliberation in relation to the proposal on Sept. 24.
Salmo said about 500 employees will be affected should the Baciwa Board of Directors approve the proposal.
Their security of tenure will be put at stake, he added.
Salmo also warned consumers that water rates can also be affected.
Water Watch head Wennie Sancho said the proposal for Baciwa’s privatization is “grossly disadvantageous” for consumers.
Sancho stressed that water rate increases can no longer be regulated if the plan pushes through.
Sancho – also the labor representative to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas – said water districts, when privatized, would only be operating for profit and not service.
“Baciwa is imbued with public interest and should not be privatized to protect the welfare of the consumers,” he added. “The right to clean and potable water is a basic human right that should not be turned into a business.”
On Monday, Mayor Evelio Leonardia – who told Baciwa chairman Lorendo Dilag to solve the water shortage problem in Bacolod – said privatization is not bad.
He added there have been many cases that privatization became successful.
“Depende sa ila kon ma-privatize sila. Depende sa Baciwa. That is an internal matter to be resolved among themselves,” the mayor said./PN
