09/12/2019
Sa maliit na paraan man lang matulungan kita PRRD.
Please share..
JUST HOW BIG IS DUTERTE'S WAR AGAINST THE ABUSIVE WATER CONCESSIONAIRES, AND WHY ARE MANY OF HIS NOISIEST ALLIES SILENT ABOUT IT?
What would you do if you are about to lose over P120 billion?
That's 120 thousand thousand thousand. That's 120 thousand million. That's a godawful lot of money.
Manila Water in 2018 posted a net profit of P6.5 billion [1]. Now, the concession agreement was prematurely extended to 2037 [2], meaning it still has about 19 years left to operate.
With the very modest assumption that it will earn a static P6.5 billion annually, that means it stands to earn Php 6.5 B× 18 = Php 123.5 billion over the next 18 years.
Note that this is a very modest estimate, as it does not take into account increased (a) per capita consumption as a result of economic growth and (b) population increase that results in more customers for Manila Water. That is, the company stands to earn a lot more than Php 123.5 billion.
We are just talking about Manila Water here: I haven't even taken Maynilad Water Services, Inc.'s earnings into account yet.
Now that Pres. Rody Duterte threatens to take away Manila Water's candies, how much of this prospective income will the Ayalas, who control Manila Water, be willing to use to prevent it, and where will they use it on?
Surely, losing half of that is a lot better than losing everything, right?
This is not to say that the Ayalas will actually do what I'm about to describe, but a presidential campaign typically costs a lot less than Php 5 billion, and co-opting high-ranking politicians while waiting for 2022 will probably cost a lot, lot less.
Now, do you wonder why many of PRRD's closest allies, who have historically been one of the noisiest, remain deafeningly silent on the issue.
How much more if an ally posted a negative net worth in her SALN?
How much more if an ally has plans to run in 2022?
There's lots of money that could be at stake, and it's not crazy to suspect that some want a chunk of it.
Remember when Duterte told Inday Sara [3]:
"Do not believe the clamor of the people because when the water gets rough you'll find that you're the only one sailing the lonely sea."
He didn't say that for nothing. Think about it.
If and when the time comes, hindi pwedeng puro post lang nang post sa social media, kailangan ng warm bodies on the streets to protect this man.
He is putting everything on the line for you, so why shouldn't you help him?
SOURCES:
[1] Manila Water. Manila Water posts P6.5 Billion Net Income in 2018. 26 February 2019. http://bit.ly/38kI3ED
[2] Philstar. Duterte: Water concessionaires liable for graft, plunder. 06 December 2019. http://bit.ly/2DXWu3y
[3] PNA. PRRD to Sara: Ignore public clamor to seek presidency. 19 November 2019. http://bit.ly/2OZAYSd