Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos —Photo from Congressman Mark Anthony Santos/Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker has called out water concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. for the company’s allegedly poor service, noting that they mention a lot of reasons while still earning billions annually.
In a statement on Thursday, Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos said that consumers cannot be satisfied by Maynilad’s habit of pointing to the northeast monsoon season and the poor water quality of Laguna Lake as the reasons behind low water supply.
Santos said this after the House of Representatives committee on public works and highways’ discussed his House Resolution (HR) No. 864, which called for an investigation in aid of legislation on recurring water supply interruptions in Las Piñas —one of the areas under Maynilad’s jurisdiction.
“Hindi na po sapat ang paulit-ulit na paliwanag tungkol sa ‘amihan’ season at sa water quality ng Laguna Lake. Our constituents deserve concrete solutions, clear accountability, and reliable water service,” Santos said.
(We cannot just repeatedly accept the explanation about the northeast monsoon and the water quality of Laguna Lake as reasons. Our constituents deserve concrete solutions, clear accountability, and reliable water service.)
Santos also asked whether Maynilad has been investing part of its income into making the water system better.
“Batay sa inyong financial disclosures, kumita ang Maynilad ng humigit-kumulang P49 billion in consolidated net profit mula 2021 hanggang 2025. Noong 2025 lamang, umabot ito sa P15.2 billion. Sa ganitong antas ng kita, bakit patuloy na nakararanas ng paulit-ulit na water interruptions ang aming mga kababayan sa Las Piñas?” Santos asked.
(Based on your financial disclosures, Maynilad earned over P49 billion in consolidated net profit from 2021 up to 2025. In 2025 alone, it reached P15.2 billion. With this high rate of income, the question is, why do the people of Las Piñas still encounter repeated water interruptions?)
“Magkano ang aktuwal na nagastos para matugunan ang problemang ito, at kailan magiging maaasahan ang kanilang suplay ng tubig?” he added.
(How much have you spent to address this problem, and when do we expect a stable supply of water?)
According to Maynilad, its P15.2 billion worth of consolidated net income in 2025 is 19 percent higher than the P12.8 billion in 2024. Capital expenditures, meanwhile, are at P26.9 billion for 2025.
“What measures are being taken to ensure that the water reaching our households is clean and safe?” Santos asked.
“Ang mahalaga, hindi lamang natin marinig kung ano ang problema. Kailangan nating malaman kung ano ang konkretong solusyon, kailan ito matatapos, at kailan mararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan ang tunay na pagbabago sa serbisyo,” he added.
(The important thing is not only listening to the problem, but finding a concrete solution — when will this end, and when will our people feel that there has been true change in your service?)
Santos said in HR No. 864 filed last March 2026 that several barangays in Las Piñas have encountered numerous advisories of low to no water supply, like Almanza Uno, Almanza Dos, Pilar, Talon Uno, Talon Dos, Talon Singko, and Poblacion.
The lawmaker said interruptions have lasted for several hours or even overnight.
During the hearing, Santos inquired as to the status of the Pututan Water Treatment Plant, as its low efficiency is being blamed on the northeast monsoon and the Laguna Lake status again.
“First, ano ang mga upgrades na ginagawa sa Putatan Water Treatment Plant upang kayanin ang mga problemang dulot ng ‘amihan’ at pagbabago sa water quality ng Laguna Lake?” Santos asked.
(First, what are the upgrades done to the Putatan Water Treatment Plant to ensure that the problems brought by the ‘amihan’ and the changes to the Laguna Lake water quality will not affect service?)
“Will these upgrades be completed this December, as promised? We need a clear answer and a definite completion date,” he added.
Maynilad is responsible for providing water services to the western concession area of Metro Manila, while Manila Water handles the eastern side.
This is not the first time that Maynilad was called out for its supposed reasons for a low water supply, particularly for issues affecting the Pututan Water Treatment Plants. In December 2022, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) gave Maynilad a Notice to Explain.