Maynilad slammed for exploiting lake-water of Laguna de Bay
Manila, Philipines – The militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA-Pilipinas) on Wednesday accused the Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI) for raking profit out of the 90-thousand hectare Laguna de Bay that is primarily source of livelihood of more than 14 million of fisherfolk and residents along the country’s largest lake.
Through its filtration facility located in Putatan, Muntinlupa City, the MWSI has been extracting 150 million liters per day of potable water supplying to more than 1 million of its customers in the Western part of National Capital Region (NCR) including the cities of Makati, Pasay, Paranaque, Las Pinas, and Muntinlupa; as well as towns of Bacoor, Cavite City, Imus, Kawit, Rosario, and Noveleta in Cavite province.
The group said MWSI abstraction of lake water is among the many corporate activities that gradually destroy the ecological balance and nature of Laguna de Bay, adversely affecting the livelihood of small-fisherfolk.
“Maynilad greedily consumes the water of Laguna de Bay for its super profit at the cost of productive fishing grounds of millions of small-fisherfolk and people engaged in fish culture activities,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA Chairperson said in a statement.
The group also said MWSI is putting the lives of its millions of customers at stake, as the lake water of Laguna de Bay is categorized as Class-C water which means it is only suitable for fishing and recreational use and not for drinking purpose.
“No matter how sophisticated filtration machine they use, they can never convert water of Laguna de Bay into safe drinking water because of its natural orientation as fishing grounds, and not for commercial purposes,” added Hicap.
The group calls on the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) to terminate the LLDA-Maynilad deal which was approved during then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“We urge the LLDA to terminate its deal with the Maynilad and bring back the lake’s traditional orientation as fishing ground and not for the use of corporate and vested interests,” ended Hicap. ###
