AS TWO PRIVATE business corporations wrestle for control over Iloilo City’s future water supply, one voice remains conspicuously faint in the conversation — the consumer’s.
The recent public hearing at the Sangguniang Panlungsod, which turned into a high-stakes corporate faceoff, has largely focused on technical superiority, financial models, and who deserves to receive the 1 CMS (cubic meter per second) water allocation from the National Irrigation Administration. But amid the charts, legal jargon, and promises of efficiency, what has been lost is the most important question of all: How will this affect ordinary Ilonggos?
Water users — residents, business owners, the urban poor — are the very reason for these negotiations. Yet they’ve been reduced to passive spectators in a process dominated by two corporate giants seeking to outmaneuver each other. The concern should not merely be who delivers the water, but whether the people who rely on it every single day will have a reliable, affordable, and equitable supply.
Iloilo City consumers deserve clarity. They deserve to know what P22 versus P40 per cubic meter truly means — not just in technical terms, but in their monthly bills. They deserve to understand the long-term implications of entering into a public-private partnership versus expanding an existing joint venture. And they deserve a seat at the table where such decisions are being made.
The Iloilo City Government’s call for redundancy in supply is valid. But redundancy alone is not enough if transparency is absent. Decisions must be communicated openly, consultations must be broadened, and consumer impact assessments must be conducted — not just after the fact, but as part of the decision-making itself.
Accountability, too, must be front and center. Contracts must include enforceable service standards. Providers must commit to fair and stable pricing. And when expectations are not met, there must be mechanisms for public redress — not bureaucratic hurdles that leave consumers helpless.
This “water war” may be waged with polite words and polished presentations, but make no mistake — it is a war with real consequences for every household in Iloilo City. The people who pay for the water deserve better than to be pawns in a corporate chess match. They must be seen, heard, and protected.
At the end of the day, whoever wins this contract must answer not to shareholders, but to the Ilonggos who will turn their faucets and expect water to flow — not just today, but for years to come.
