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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Stock Market devider Villar sells PrimeWater to Lucio Co's Crystal Bridges

Villar sells PrimeWater to Lucio Co's Crystal Bridges

Published Dec 16, 2025 05:39 pm
Billionaire Manuel Villar Jr. is selling 100 percent of PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. to Lucio Co’s Crystal Bridges Holding Corp., marking the property magnate’s exit from the water utility business.
The Villar Group confirmed the divestment in a statement Tuesday, Dec. 16, saying it has entered into definitive agreements with Crystal Bridges for the acquisition. Financial terms for the deal, which involves PrimeWater’s entire portfolio of Philippine operations, were not disclosed.
From left: Vincent Co, Leonardo Dayao, Manuel B. Villar, Jr., Lucio Co and Manuel Paolo A. Villar
From left: Vincent Co, Leonardo Dayao, Manuel B. Villar, Jr., Lucio Co and Manuel Paolo A. Villar
“Upon completion, Crystal Bridges will acquire PrimeWater’s entire portfolio of operations across the Philippines,” the company said.
The acquisition expands Co’s footprint in the regulated utility sector. Co, the retail billionaire behind Puregold Price Club Inc., already operates Pamana Water Corp. in the provinces of Tarlac, Pampanga, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija.
PrimeWater serves more than 1.7 million households and treats over 500 million liters of water daily from deep wells and surface sources. Its network includes water district joint ventures, bulk water supply, and wastewater management across the archipelago, from Cagayan in the north to Zamboanga City in the south.
The deal follows recent government scrutiny of water providers and marks a consolidation of private utility interests under Co’s growing infrastructure arm.
Beyond its core distribution, PrimeWater provides consulting for water delivery systems and operations maintenance for real estate developers and local government units.

Related Tags

Manuel B. Villar Jr. PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. Lucio L. Co Crystal Bridges Holding Corporation
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