MANILA, Philippines — Malacanang has on Friday (13 December 2019) allayed fears on the purported takeover of the water “oligarchs” with another emerging water “oligarch.”

A high-ranking Malacanang official said President Duterte is only after the interests of the people and nothing more.

“Oh no, definitely not,” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said as he debunked reports claiming a plot is afoot to replace Manila Water and Maynilad  “oligarchs” with the President’s “own oligarch.”

Andanar further stressed the President only wants to send a message to Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. that he is against “onerous” deals and that there are no sacred cows in his administration.

Meanwhile, amid the innuendos over alleged crony takeover, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra also defended Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar from scathing remarks as she is accordingly at the forefront reviewing the contracts of the two water firms.

Reports have it that behind the said investigation or review of the controversial “onerous” water contract entered into by Maynilad and Manila Water is a “prime but hidden intention” to allow her in-laws, who own Prime Water Infrastructure Corp. (PWIC), to benefit from the controversy.

Guevarra said Villar’s participation in the review was merely “coincidental” because the members of the review team – the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) and the Office of the Chief State Counsel (OCSC) – are both under the jurisdiction of Villar.

“The Cabinet discussion on the concession agreements was spurred solely by the water crisis and not by any premeditated intent to bring in a supposedly new concessionaire,” Guevarra said.

Villar is married to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, son of businessman and former senator Manuel Villar and Sen. Cynthia Villar.

Andanar, in his interview, said, “I think the purpose here is to send the message to both Maynilad and Manila Water that the President is not accepting this kind of reasoning and this kind of onerous contract. That’s why the MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) revoked the extension of the contract and both Manila Water and Maynilad already wrote a letter to the President.”

Speculation about a takeover of the two water firms by Duterte allies arose after Duterte mentioned that “there were people like Villar who could handle the water distribution.”

Andanar said, “The main point here is that we should not be entering into onerous contracts. This is, in fact, doing the business community a favor by telling them that there is no room for corruption in our business industry and under the term of President Duterte.”

“There are no sacred cows. You’ve been asking for big fish, and there you go,” he added. (IAMIGO/CNS)