Manuel Villar, Enrique Razon, Lucio Tan, and Sabin Aboitiz have individually expressed interest in the 135 water rights opened for development by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which could potentially earn the nation’s irrigation agency a billion pesos a year.
Villar is seeking 28 of the National Irrigation Administration’s water rights for privatization, while Razon, Tan and Aboitiz are also considering several projects, according to DENR Undersecretary CP David.
Villar’s PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. has been quietly accumulating water in the past decade, making it among the country’s biggest water companies. The company serves more than 1.7 million households and treats over 500 million liters of water a day. Its largest facility, located in the Zamboanga Special Economic Zone, is capable of producing 50,000 cubic meters per day, according to the company’s website.