THE government has started to investigate the water provider PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. following complaints from its customers of poor service and high cost, Malacañang said Friday.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) would lead the investigation into PrimeWater's 73 joint venture agreements with local water districts across the country.

PrimeWater is owned by the Villar family, one of the country's powerful political clans.

"The LWUA has started the investigation today," Castro said when asked about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to probe the PrimeWater.

She said complaints have been lodged by PrimeWater's customers in provinces such as Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Bohol and Pangasinan.

"First of all, residents of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Bohol, Pangasinan are crying out. And there are many others," Castro said.

She said it was premature to discuss the sanctions the water providers could face.

"We will provide updates as the investigation progresses," she said. "We want to thoroughly examine all the facts and see what issues may have been concealed or need further scrutiny."

Castro also pushed back at Vice President Sara Duterte's claim that the President's order to probe PrimeWater was politically motivated.

"We cannot expect anything nice or any nice word from the Vice President in favor of the President and of the present administration. She will always use that excuse or defense of that politicking without really answering or responding directly to the issues," she said.

Duterte said Malacañang was politically persecuting Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar for endorsing the vice president.

Villar is the daughter of Sen. Cynthia Villar and former Senate president Manny Villar.

But Castro said that the unresolved issues involving PrimeWater date back to the administration of Sara's father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, when the company rapidly expanded.

"PrimeWater thrived in 2018 during the term of former President Duterte," Castro said. "Let us remember that many of our fellow citizens, customers of PrimeWater, have long been crying out. This is not new, so it is puzzling why it was not addressed during the previous administration."

Castro stressed that the government was fulfilling its duty to the public in investigating PrimeWater.

"It is the obligation of the government and the President to respond to the people's grievances," she said.

Castro urged Duterte to engage in more constructive discourse.

"Let's elevate the discussion, reason for reason, data for data. Let's avoid using foul language or insults," she said.

Castro also slammed Duterte's continued use of "politicking" to deflect issues raised against her, including the Commission on Audit's (COA) findings of P12.3 billion in unsettled financial transactions at the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as secretary.

COA flagged DepEd's alleged failure to resolve notices of suspension, disallowance and charge, which grew from P11.4 billion in 2022 to P12.3 billion by the end of Duterte's tenure as education secretary in June last year.

Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives in February. The Senate, convening as an impeachment court, is expected to begin trial in July.

"Now there's the issue of the P12.3 billion in COA findings regarding DepEd's unsettled financial transactions under VP Sara's leadership. Will she still call that politicking?" Castro said.

Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas campaign manager, said Representative Villar remained a member of the administration's Senate ticket.

"We respect her track record in public service and trust that she, like all our candidates, supports efforts that promote transparency, accountability and the public good. In a Bagong Pilipinas, the welfare of the people always comes first," Tiangco said in a statement.

But he said that Alyansa supports Marcos' directive to investigate PrimeWater.

"Public concerns over water service — whether involving a local utility or a private provider like PrimeWater — deserve to be addressed through proper and transparent channels," Tiangco said.

"Clean and reliable water is a basic need, and any service issues must be reviewed fairly and with urgency," he added.