Manila Water chief returns to energy as new Prime Infra gas business president
Following the finalized gas business deal between Razon-led Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. (Prime Infra) and Lopez-led First Gen Corp. (FGen), a leadership shake-up is set to take place by the end of the year.
In a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 18, Prime Infra said it will soon transfer Manila Water Co.’s (MWC) retiring president and chief executive officer (CEO), Jose Victor Emmanuel de Dios, to its new subsidiary, Prime CoreGen, which will manage the newly acquired power plants. The east zone water concessionaire is part of the Razon group of companies.
De Dios will become the new Prime CoreGen chief effective Jan. 1, 2026, while current MWC chief administrative officer and chief operating officer (COO) for international business, Roberto Jose Locsin, will take over the president and CEO role in the water business.
His new position would mark De Dios’ return to the energy industry, as he was Department of Energy (DOE) undersecretary from 2001 to 2004 during the Arroyo administration. During that time, he established the Natural Gas Office and then later chaired Philippine National Oil Co.-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC).
He also led Nido Petroleum Ltd., the Australian oil exploration firm, as well as served as CEO of GE Philippines.
Locsin, on the other hand, was previously CEO of Philippine Growth Terminals under International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) before joining MWC.
“Locsin has been engaged with MWC since Prime Infra’s entry as a shareholder, leading systems implementation, opex [operating expenses] rationalization, and operational performance initiatives, while helping embed a stronger performance-driven culture,” the company said.
Guillaume Lucci, Prime Infra president and CEO, said that this leadership change would allow the company to ensure continued investment and development growth.
“These strategic leadership changes ensure we have the right team in place to drive growth across our water and gas portfolio. Our focus remains on running strong operations and delivering essential infrastructure that supports the country’s development,” he shared.
The chief executive role shuffle follows the recent financial close of Prime Infra’s ₱5-billion purchase of FGen’s gas business.
Because of this, Prime Infra has created a subsidiary, Prime CoreGen, which will manage the 1,000-megawatt (MW) Sta. Rita, 500-MW San Lorenzo, 450-MW San Gabriel, 97-MW Avion, and the 1,200-MW Sta. Maria power plants, as well as the offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.
FGen will still hold a 40-percent stake in the gas assets, while the majority of its current business is focused on renewable energy (RE).