PrimeWater

PrimeWater was established on August 10, 2006. In five years, it has expanded its reach to cover areas across the Philippines in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Water in the Philippines are supplied by water districts which are government-owned which often deals with funding issues. This led to them entering into public private partnerships to develop their water supply capabilities. Among these private firms is PrimeWater, which continued to expand in the 2010s by entering joint venture agreements (JVAs) with state-owned water districts. By 2021, PrimeWater controls 100 water districts out of the more than 500 districts in the Philippines according to the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA). In 2023, the Commission on Audit noted lapses on PrimeWater's JVAs with Dasmariñas, Silang, Tagaytay, Trece Martires, and Malaybalay water districts. In May 2025, the LWUA began investigating PrimeWater over its alleged poor services and high cost leading to an order by President Bongbong Marcos. The investigation also examined alleged conflicts of interest involving Mark Villar, who was a secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways when PrimeWater's JVAs were significantly expanded in 2019 while LWUA was attached to the department. In December 2025, the Villar group announced that that Crystal Bridges Holding Corp. of Lucio Co will acquire full ownership of Primewater. ==Service areas==

, Bulacan, bearing the logos of the city's joint water service providers, San Jose del Monte Water District and PrimeWater By 2021, PrimeWater entered into joint venture of operations with 100 water districts in the Philippines according to the LWUA. Pre-termination of joint venture agreements In March 2025, the Quezon Metropolitan Water District (QMWD) initiated the termination of its joint venture agreement with PrimeWater. In its official resolution, QMWD explicitly stated that PrimeWater "committed breaches which caused dissatisfaction of the concessionaires on the services of [PrimeWater]." The following month, the San Jose del Monte Water Board also moved to pre-terminate their joint venture agreements with PrimeWater, citing mounting consumer complaints, poor service quality and risks to public health. In August, the provincial government of Bulacan formally moved to terminate all joint venture agreements with PrimeWater in the province. Other local government units and water districts also moved to pre-terminate their JVAs with PrimeWater, including: • Leyte Metropolitan Water District (serving Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa, Dagami, Pastrana, Santa Fe, Babatngon, and the City of Tacloban) • Mabalacat, Pampanga • Malaybalay, Bukidnon • San Fernando, Pampanga • San Pedro, Laguna • Santa Cruz, Laguna • Subic, Zambales In La Union, the Metro San Fernando Water District (MSFWD) which supplies water to the city of San Fernando, and the towns of Bauang, Bacnotan, San Juan, and San Gabriel terminated its JVA with PrimeWater on 8 May 2025. However, PrimeWater petitioned the San Fernando Regional Trial Court for a protection order, which was granted in June 2025, allowing the company to continue overseeing the water supply in the MSFWD service area. ==References==