Villars’ PrimeWater in the spotlight — again, after Marcos visits Bulacan schools

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro reveals that a Bulacan school with dirty toilets and no water was under a PrimeWater joint venture with Malolos City

It had to take an inspection from no less than the President of the country to get the Villars’ PrimeWater to address a simple problem of a broken water pump and water line in Malolos City, Bulacan. 

After President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. saw for himself the problem of lack of water and dirty toilets in a couple of public schools during his “Brigada Eskwela 2025” on Monday, June 9, the issue of PrimeWater’s poor water service in Bulacan is back in the news weeks after it became a major issue in the May 2025 midterm elections affecting Senator-elect Camille Villar, daughter of the country’s wealthiest person, Manny Villar. PrimeWater Infrastructure Corporation is a private water utility firm owned by Camille’s brother Manuel Paolo.

On Wednesday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro revealed that one of the schools which the President visited on Monday — Barihan Elementary School in Malolos City — was covered by PrimeWater’s joint venture with the City of Malolos Water District (CMWD).

“…dahil nga ipinagutos kaagad ng Pangulo na magkaroon ng pag-iimbestiga ang LWUA at base na nga rin po kay [LWUA] president [Jose] Joy Salonga, mayroon na pong naganap na pag-uusap sa pagitan po ng City of Malolos Water District (CMWD) at kasama po ang PrimeWater, sa Malolos po ito,” she said when asked for an update in a Palace briefing on Wednesday. 

(Because of the President’s directive that LWUA should investigate it, and according to LWUA president Joy Salonga there will be talks between the City of Malolos Water District with PrimeWater, in Malolos.)

“Ayon po sa kanila, kailangan pong magkaroon ng improvement sa water supply service sa dalawang affected barangays. Nangako po ang PrimeWater na iri-repair ang pump station by June 13, 2025. At makikipag-coordinate din po sila sa drainage contractor para po maisaayos din po. Ito po ay sa pagitan din po ng CMWD and PrimeWater para ma-restore po iyong damaged main line.”

(According to them, there needs to be an improvement in the water supply service in two affected barangays. PrimeWater promised to repair the pump station by June 13, 2025. And they will also coordinate with the drainage contractor to fix this. This is also between CMWD and PrimeWater to restore the damaged main line.)

She said “water is expected to return to normal levels upon completion of the repair and restoration of damaged pipelines before school opening.”

On Wednesday, PrimeWater City of Malolos posted on its Facebook page an advisory to its customers that there would be low water or no water at all for six hours in Barangay Barihan and in Santisima Trinidad, or from June 11, 8 pm to June 12, 2 am. 

It said that an emergency maintenance activty in the Barihan Pumping Station would be undertaken.

During his visit on Monday, the President was disappointed to see the poor state of toilets in Barihan Elementary School in Malolos City, and in Tibagan Elementary School in San Miguel, Bulacan. 

“One of the things that I noticed is the bathrooms. Kailangan na kailangan natin linisin at pagandahin ang mga bathrooms,” Marcos said at the Tibagan Elementary School in San Miguel, Bulacan. (We really need to clean and improve the bathrooms.)

“Hindi naman mahirap gawin ‘yun except ang problema sa mga pinuntahan naming eskuwela, walang tubig,” the President added.

(It’s not difficult to do that except that the problem in the schools we went to, there’s no water.)

Marcos said the schools had “inadequate water supply” even though they were not remiss in paying their water bills. 

“Kaya ‘yun ang titingnan namin nang mabuti. Kung saan dapat manggaling ‘yung tubig. Bakit walang tubig at nagbabayad naman sila para sa kanilang water supply?” he said. 

(That’s what we’re closely looking at, where the water should come from. Why is there no water when the schools are able to pay for their water supply?)

At the Barihan Elementary School, Marcos said: “For me, basic ‘yan eh. Kasi pati ‘yung health nung bata natatamaan. Magkakasakit ‘yan kung hindi malinis ang mga pinupuntahan nilang mga bathroom… Kaya kawawa naman.” 

(For me, that’s basic. Because the health of school children are affected. They will get sick if the bathrooms aren’t clean. Pity them.)

Perhaps the President should also visit other areas that are being served by PrimeWater which Rappler reported about during the elections. 

These include other areas in Bulacan, in Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Camarines Norte, and in Malaybalay City in Bukidnon in southern Philippines. (READ: [Pastilan] Dry taps, darkness, and the Villars’ Prime plague)

Marcos had ordered the LWUA in April to probe the joint ventures of water districts with PrimeWater under the Duterte administration. Castro said last May 2 there were 73 deals, although a number of NGOs said there were 130 such deals. According to its website, PrimeWater Infrastructure covers over 1.7 million households and is now one of the country’s largest water companies. 

The Commission on Audit has flagged PrimeWater deals that were clearly disadvantageous to the government. 

Will PrimeWater fulfill its promise to fix the simple problem of a broken pumping station in Bulacan by June 13, Friday?

“Abangan po natin ang magiging trabaho ng PrimeWater kung tutupad sila sa kanilang pangako sa LWUA,” Castro said.

(Let’s wait and see if PrimeWater will fulfill its promise to LWUA.)

More inspections please, Mr. President, and don’t let up. The state of these public schools clearly don’t fit under your vision of a Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines). – Rappler. com