TO ABATE the undeserved residents of San Jose del Monte who have long been suffering over poor services of Villar family’s PrimeWater, Metro Pacific Water (MPW), a subsidiary of tycoon Manny Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Investments Corporation is temporarily taking over the operations of San Jose del Monte water district.
In an announcement, the San Jose Del Monte city government confirmed sealing a deal with MPW for the operation and maintenance of the local water utility services.
Under the agreement dated May 20, MPW will take over the SJDM Water District from the embattled PrimeWater whose petition for injunction was denied by the court.
The SJDM city government took over water district operations after it found that a quarter of its households were experiencing service interruptions.
MPW, under the two-month consultancy agreement, will not just operate the water service system but will also conduct a technical and operational assessment of the water system. This entails reviewing the condition of pipelines, pumping stations, and other factors that may affect water distribution.
Both parties are also in talks regarding possible water infrastructure projects that can support the city’s needs.
The city government said MPW underwent a due diligence process, which included a visit to the company’s other service areas like Dumaguete City, Cagayan de Oro City and Nueva Ecija.
“This milestone is not only about changing the operator. It is about restoring accountability, proper service, and dignity to every family that has long endured the city’s water problems,” SJDM Mayor Florida Robes said.
MPW president/CEO officer Andrew Pangilinan also acknowledged the urgent need to restore reliable water service to SJDM and vowed to do so within a year.
“But let me also be honest and transparent: this challenge will not be solved overnight,” reads a Rappler report quoting the young Pangilinan.
“Rehabilitating and improving a water system takes time, careful planning, sustained investment, and close coordination between the private sector, the local government, and the community itself. As the interim operator, we will do our best to deliver clean water services,” he added.
On May 26, the Regional Trial Courts of Bulacan and Las Pinas denied PrimeWater’s petition for TRO and preliminary injunctions against the city government of Bulacan and dismissed two separate petitions after the Villar company failed to prove a clear legal right, and urgency for injunctive relief against the city government’s takeover of the local water district.
The SJDM city government took over the local water district in May after around a quarter of its households experienced service interruptions. PrimeWater, however, argued that only 10,000 to 12,000 of its 130,000 customers were affected.
The court also noted that the city government’s emergency measures were justified, since PrimeWater’s own branch manager admitted to receiving thousands of consumer complaints on water shortages, Rappler reported.
“The public injury to the people of the city of San Jose del Monte arising from persistent water supply problems outweighs the contractual obligations under the joint venture agreement,” the decision read, noting that public welfare supersedes private contracts.
PrimeWater – which has been ‘sold’ to Lucio Co’s Crystal Bridges from the Villars – filed the same petition before the Las Piñas RTC where its headquarters are located. But the court also dismissed the case on Tuesday, June 2, after PrimeWater failed to demonstrate a “grave and irreparable injury” necessary for a TRO.
In a statement, San Jose del Monte Mayor Florida Robes welcomed the double legal victories against PrimeWater as she believes these will allow the local government to focus on resolving long-standing infrastructure issues, Rappler noted.
“This affirms the authority of the local government to act in protecting the general welfare. Our people have waited long enough, and we will not allow legal maneuvers to delay urgent action,” she said.
Rappler said the “water service crisis” pushed SJDM’s city government to declare a state of calamity in March 2026, effectively unlocking emergency powers for the LGU, including authority to assume control of the water district.
Even after PrimeWater’s joint venture with the local government was terminated in November 2025, Robes claimed that PrimeWater did not communicate with them even once, adding that they only got to know that Lucio Co’s Crystal Bridges Holding Corporation acquired 100% of the previously Villar-owned PrimeWater, through news reports.
“In accordance with City Ordinance No. 2026-03-012, the takeover gives the SJDM city government authority over the facilities and assets of the local water district and PrimeWater that are related to water supply and wastewater systems. This takeover will last one year, in line with the limits of the LGU’s emergency powers.”
The ordinance also allowed the city government to appoint an interim water utility operator that will be the LGU’s partner in building priority infrastructure that PrimeWater failed to deliver.
“Under the JVA (joint venture agreement), there is a P6.8-billion pledge as capital infrastructure… but it turns out that only around P748 million was used for the infrastructure that was built. That means the infrastructure projects that should have been built from the first year to the fifth year of the JVA did not happen.”
According to studies conducted by the LGU and water utility experts, the city needs to prioritize at least nine infrastructure projects to ensure the flow of water to customers.