The government is expected to sign soon a new water concession agreement with Manila Water Company, Inc., Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said on Monday, March 15.
Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services, Inc. supply water in the National Capital Region.
“We would have another meeting this coming Wednesday,” Guevarra said during the Malacanang briefing.
“Kung meron pang natitira na any minor points ay ma-plantsa na yun during this meeting on Wednesday (if there are minor points left, they will be ironed out during the meeting on Wednesday),” he said.
“After that we shall be ready to sign a new water concession agreement with Manila Water and after that isusunod sa discussions (it will be followed by discussions) with the other concessionaire Maynilad (Maynilad Water Services, Inc.),” he added.
President Duterte himself approved last Nov. 10 the draft made by the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the revised concession agreements with Maynilad and Manila Water.
Following its approval, the DOJ started talks with the water concessionaires about the revised agreements.
The President pushed for the revision of the water concession deals as early as December 2019 after a DOJ panel of reviewers found numerous onerous provisions in the water concession agreements with the two water concessionaires.
The team which drafted the revised water concession agreements was composed of lawyers from the DOJ, Department of Finance (DOF), Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), and Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC).