Press Statement

In a matter of days the awarding of the bulk water project will come to pass. The Baguio Water District’s (BWD) Board of Directors (BoD) will finally decide on the fate of Benguet Corporation’s (BC) bid. If they had allowed BC to return in the bidding it is not improbable that they will also let BC to have the project.

The Baguio consumers’ had already decided…..

We do not want contaminated and expensive water. We do not want our water district to be privatized. We do not want a profit-driven entity to take hold of our water utility. What we want is safe and affordable water. What we want is genuine water service.

and our stand must be valued.

The BWD BoD and top-management in their continued abandonment of the widening oppositions on the project had betrayed their consumers. We are disgusted by the outright neglect that the consumers of the city are experiencing. If this is happening to an essential service like water, it is highly possible that we will face the same scenario in other social services and utilities.

Similarly, BC had maliciously deceived the Baguio consumers. Its contaminated water source and reservoir will burden us into serious health problems like nerve, brain and kidney damage, genetic mutation and even death. In the earlier phase of the bidding BC had proven itself to be anti-consumers and therefore do not deserve our nod.

If our opposition will be relegated to the sidelines…..

For several months now, the PRO-CONSUMERS had sustained its protest actions. We formally submitted a position paper to the city council. We were invited to a council investigation thereafter wherein BWD and the city council heard the bases of our opposition. Another investigation was called but BC and BWD refused to appear. We also organized several demonstrations in front of the city hall and BWD.

Still, the BWD BoD and top-management neither respond to our actions nor deny the legitimate bases of our opposition.

When will the consumers be truly heard?

UPHOLD THE RIGHTS OF METRO-BAGUIO CONSUMERS FOR SAFE AND AFFORDABLE WATER!
STOP THE BWD BULK WATER BIDDING!

PRO-CONSUMERS METRO-BAGUIO (Promotion of Consumers’ Survival and Economic Rights)
Tongtongan Ti Umili-Cordillera Peoples Alliance #