Robredo on water concessions to Duterte : "Bakit hindi gumawa ng mga hakbang noon pang 2016 para maayos?”

The Vice President is making her voice heard on the issue of the water concession agreements that has been in the headlines for the past week.

Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni”Robredo in her weekly radio program asked President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, why it did not make any move against  water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad as early as 2016?

President Duterte has been on a verbal offensive against the two water operators as regards the onerous agreements it entered into with government, with the verbal tirades of the President the two water operators in their respective capacities have already waived their right to collect from government the P10.8B (Maynilad ₱3.4 billion and Manila Water ₱7.4 billion) it won as compensation from the Singapore based arbitral tribunal.

VicePresident MAria Leonor "Leni"Robredo
(photo credit to owner)

Robredo said, the Duterte administration should have not waited to put this two companies in check, why wait for three and a half years before making the move? The Vice president asked.

“Three and a half years na itong pamahalaang ito. Sigurado naman ako nung pumasok sila noong middle of 2016, alam na nila na mayroong arbitration case,” she said. “Bakit pa hinintay na lumabas ‘yung desisyon na to? Bakit hindi gumawa ng mga hakbang noon pang 2016 para maayos?”

[Translation: This administration has been in office for three and a half years. I’m sure when they came in the middle of 2016, they already knew of the arbitration case … Why did they have to wait for this decision to come out? Why didn't they take steps back in 2016 to fix this?]

Robredo also is hesitating on the idea floated by the President with respect to the military takeover of the water concessionaires.

“Parang nakakalimutan natin in the first place kung bakit nandoon ‘yun sa private. Kaya siya binigay sa private kasi nung gobyerno ‘yung humahawak, palpak nga,” she said.

[Translation: It’s like we’re forgetting why it was given to the private sector in the first place. This happened because the government failed when it was in charge of water operations.]

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Report from CNN Phils