Duterte hits MWSS failure to prepare for El Niño

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte lambasted the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for its supposed failure to prepare for El Niño, just days before he decides on the fate of water regulators and the contracts of water concessionaires.

Duterte said he had to issue threats to prod the MWSS to address the recent water service interruption in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

“Son of a b****. Every season there is always the El Niño. So why didn’t you prepare for that? And now you ran out of water even before the El Niño… Where has all the water in this universe gone to then? If I didn’t tell them that I’ll go there personally… The next morning there was water. You see how deceitful these rich guys are?” Duterte said in a campaign rally in Bukidnon last Saturday.

He also claimed that a water dam was not immediately opened during the height of the crisis because water concessionaires “were waiting for an increase.”

“They didn’t plan on opening it because they were waiting for an increase. Only then will they release the water. That’s true. These rich people...are milking us dry. And they are the ones who finance agencies like Rappler,” he added, referring to the news website that he accused of publishing false reports about him.

Duterte did not say who refused to open the dam, which he claimed prolonged the water supply lack.

“The water crisis... If I didn’t tell them, ‘Open the water dam there. If there’s still no water supply by noon time tomorrow, I will go to Manila and slap all of you.’ The next day there was water. Would you look at that?” the President said.