LUCENA CITY, QUEZON- “There’s no politics in basic needs”
Ito ang tinuran ni Senatorial candidate Panfilo Lacson sa sinimulan nang imbestigasyon ng Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) sa PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp na iniutos ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Sa press conference ng Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas sa Lucena City, Quezon bago ang kanilang campaign rally, sinabi ni Lacson na suportado niya ang imbestigasyon laban sa water utility dahil na rin sa may mga reklamo ang mga consumers nito.
Ayon kay Lacson, ang hakbang ng Malacanang ay hindi dapat tignan bilang politically motivated.
Ang Primewater ay pagmamay-ari ng pamilya Villar, kung saan si Las Pinas Rep Camille Villar ay kabilang sa senatorial slate ng administrasyon.
“The government is well within its duty to address such issues, especially since water is a basic necessity. Even if water service is under a private concessionaire, the government must be transparent and proactive in resolving public concerns. We were in Bohol, Bacolod, and now here in Lucena—everywhere we go, we hear complaints. In Bacolod, the water coming out of the tap was brown. In Lucena and Tayabas, the mayors themselves told us they’re dealing with problems involving PrimeWater,” paliwanag ni Lacson.
Ganito rin ang sentimyento ni senatorial aspirant Tito Sotto, aniya, hindi dapat magkaroon ng pagkaantala sa pagresolba sa ganitong mga reklamo.
“Any issue concerning the basic needs of the people should be addressed without delay, regardless of who’s involved,” ani Lacson
Para naman kay ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo hindi political manuevering ang imbestigasyon sa Primewater bagkus resulta ng paulit ulit nang reklamo na hindi masolusyunan.
“The LGUs themselves have been speaking up. Are we supposed to ignore them because the company is linked to an ally? The president did the right thing. If rust-colored or muddy water is coming out of your tap, do you just turn a blind eye?,” paliwanag ni Tulfo.
Giit naman ni Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos na tignan ang isyu ng Primewater sa aspeto ng “citizen’s perspective”
“Imagine if every person in this room had no water and still had to pay for poor service. How would you react? The president made the right call. This is a serious issue that demands immediate action,” ani Abalos.
Kapwa nilinaw naman ng senatoriables na nananatiling parte mg “Alyansa” si Camille Villar.
“Camille Villar is not PrimeWater. The company may be family-owned, but we’re not removing her just because she was endorsed by someone else. In past elections, we’ve had common candidates between different parties—it’s nothing new,” pagtatapos ni Lacson. Gail Mendoza
