IT’S just like David fighting Goliath. The goliaths here are the oligarchs and how to kill them is a matter that involves political will.
They are heartless operators of Maynilad and Manila Water who have been salivating the country’s natural resource (read: water) via onerous deals long time before DU30 came to power.
The recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Singapore has surprisingly caught the PH government with its pants down — and out, literally!
And outrage was the only reaction so far of Malacanang over that decision, directing the government to pay Manila Water billions of pesos for the non-implementation of water rate increases.
The irony of it was the stupidity of our lawmakers in entering a contract inimical to the interest of the people.
Under our Constitution, all natural resources including water, belong to – and are owned by – the state.
It is a given fact that water is for the use, enjoyment, and welfare of the citizens. No pun intended here but simply for the interest of the greater mass.
Water is life and therefore its use is painted with public interest.
In fact, water is a privilege and must not be abused by the few, to the dismay of the many.
More so, water is not a commodity, but a necessity to stay alive. And most importantly, water is not a money making venture, but a public service per se.
In this case, the proper delivery of water, as a basic service has not been fostered but thwarted to the detriment of the people.
Now, regardless of whatever power or influential these operators have, they are bound to stay a lifetime behind bars.
That said, do we have that kind of onerous water deal here at the local front? Your guess is as good as mine. (ruffy44_ph2000@yahoo.com)
