Targeting Privatisation: The Philippines

Bantay Tubig

Bantay Tubig is a coalition of Philippine NGOs and ‘party-list’ groups formed to respond to the consequences of the privatisation of the Metro Manila water utility. The work of Bantay Tubig illustrates the value of sustained action around a particular issue impacting on the right to water, in this case the privatisation of water services.

The coalition, composed of organisations representing diverse interests and disciplines, undertakes research, advocacy and legislative work, working to establish constructive dialogue with all sectors of society involved in the management of water, from the representatives of the private water companies to the urban poor affected by their policies.

Some of the organisation’s activities have included:

• research and advocacy on national water policy embodied by Philippine water laws and implemented by the National Water Regulatory Board
• the documentation and highlighting of cases of fierce community resistance to private water companies being granted rights over previously communal water sources
• public information campaigns on pricing and regulatory issues
• research into community-based water management alternatives
• initiating Congressional inquiries on various aspects of water privatisation
• pursuing legal action against one of the water concessionaires in Manila, the Maynilad Water Company

One of the aims of the coalition is to promote the establishment of a National Water Regulatory Commission that will provide for transparency and public participation in decision-making processes related to pricing, service-provision and other issues linked to water access and consumption nationwide.

As its membership expands, the work and impact of Bantay Tubig have extended beyond the region of Metro Manila into other areas of the Philippines and the international sphere. The coalition has established linkages with international organisations working on water issues, and has contributed to several campaigns to challenge water policies.