President Rodrigo Duterte says he will negotiate with the executives of Maynilad and Manila Water if they return the money they allegedly stole from the public through the 1997 water concession agreement, which he claims had “onerous” provisions.
In his speech Thursday, President Duterte floated the possibility of negotiating with the water firms—far from his previous hard-line stance on the issue.
“They were merely distributors, yet they have come out to be 10 times, 20 times richer. That’s why I don’t want to talk with them. They want to talk to me. I told them I don’t want to” Duterte said.
“Where is the money of the Filipino people? Where is the money of the average Filipino?…Give us back the money. Give it back to the people and maybe we can talk about solving your problem. It will not be the problem of this government.”
Duterte has previously said he does not want to negotiate with the water concessionaires, whom he accused of “milking” Filipinos of billions of pesos.
The Justice department and the Office of the Solicitor General have been drafting a water concession contract without the “onerous” provisions that angered the President.
Should the two firms reject the new contract, Duterte said, he would order a government takeover of the water services in Metro Manila and other areas under the watch of Manila Water and Maynilad.
The two water firms have vowed to cooperate with the government to revise the contract after the President repeatedly assailed them.
On Dec. 10 last year, the executives of Manila Water and Maynilad wrote to the President expressing their willingness to sit down with government officials to resolve the issue.
“They’re trying to reach out for a settlement. Let us see how it develops. I am really furious,” Duterte said.
“I do not brag. I am not brave. But, son of a bitch, if I get angry with you, I will slap you in public.”
