Metro Pacific Bulacan Water shows improvements in the water supply of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan after taking over from PrimeWater. MPBW is the interim water service operator of the city. Jekki Pascual, ABS-CBN News
MANILA—The Metro Pacific Bulacan Water (MPBW) said it has increased the water capacity in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, just three months after taking over as interim water service operator.
MPBW Chief Operating Officer Roldan Pineda said they took over in June 5, 2026 and have made many improvements, including the addition of 13.54 MLD [million liters per day], or a 9.33 percent increase from May 2026 data.
“Continuous po yung ginagawan nating leak repair together with what we call non-revenue water reduction program… Together with LGU [local government unit] din, meron tayong tinitingnang project, Minuyan Project natin. Ito naman po ay isa ring pipe-laying para maserbisyuhan ang mga matataas na area,” Pineda said.
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He reported that they have repaired 789 leaks in the first 100 days. It also continues to monitor the quality of the water and has added more customer service staff to respond to the needs of the customers. Pineda said he was shocked to see the state of the water utility in the city when they started.
“Our first reaction was ‘hindi kapanipaniwala’. Medyo dismayado po kami. Why? Because this is not something na ganito yung inexpect namin na dadatnan because napabayaan ang mga planta, napabayaan ang mga pipelines,” he said.
SJDM City Administrator Rizaldy Mendoza agreed. He said they tapped the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation’s MPBW to help them improve water supply following what he said were violations and failures in the 25-year joint venture agreement between Prime Water and the San Jose Del Monte Water District, which started in 2018.
He said the LGU had to step in and declare a "State of Emergency in Water Services" earlier this year. This allowed them to tap another water service company to continue the work of Prime Water, whose contract was terminated.
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The city said the joint venture was done in secrecy in 2018 without public consultation in the first place. Mendoza added that many of the facilities were not working properly and there was no proper customer service.
“Halos bumagksak na pati bubong and all. Yung equipment doon puro kalawang. Isa lang yun doon sa facilities na pinabayaan ng water provider… Corrosive, puro kalawang and all. Out of the 36 facilities, 10 lang gumagana,” he said.
Mendoza said the MPBW remains an interim water utility firm because there are still legal processes and the city is still under a state of emergency. The city has initially paid MPBW P60 million for two months to help the city, and this agreement is also extendable.
Pineda said they will need P14-15 billion in total investments to fully address the water crisis in the city, and it will take a much longer timeframe.
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For some residents who have been complaining of having no or limited water supply in recent years, the new partnership is a big help for them. Village official Elizabeth Pagulayan, who also heads a homeowners association, said there have been improvements in the last few months. But hopefully there will come a time when all her neighbors will have sufficient water supply with minimal interruption.
“Hiling namin yung regular supply ng tubig kasi ‘water is life’ sabi nga natin,” she said.