A group of water consumers in Bacolod City believes that the privatization of the Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) is a sham. Amlig Tubig-Bacolod said in a Facebook statement on Wednesday that after three years since the Baciwa Board of Directors entered a joint venture agreement with Prime Water, the district continued to show poor water services in the city. Murky and ice-tea colored water is the daily agonizing experience by water consumers in Bacolod City and worst, in some instances, 'no water at all,' the consumers lamented. 'Yet Prime Water had the courage and temerity to say publicly that water services are excellent and that drinking water is safe and potable.' 'In fine, Baciwa privatization is a sham, illegal and miserably failed to deliver clean and potable water in Bacolod City which is why the Court of Appeals recently reversed the decision of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 45, Bacolod City who earlier dismissed our Petition for the Nullification of JVA and ordered the full-blown trial of our Petition,' Amlig Tubig added. The group continues to voice out its concern for the cooperative's terminated employees, whose case remains pending for the past three years. 'Any further delay in the resolution of this case will cause irreparable damage to the illegally terminated employees and constitute a deprivation of their right to a speedy trial. This is scandalous and immoral,' the group wrote. The 60 terminated employees of the Baciwa were ordered reinstated by the Civil Service Commission in August 2021.
