Pangasinan provincial executives want to sit down with officials of Manila Water Company (MWC) Inc. to renegotiate the unexpected termination of their concession deal.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III said they are willing to assist the MWC in the project and were waiting for communication from the latter.

Hence, they were surprised when the publicly listed MWC informed the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Jan. 3 about the early termination of their 25-year agreement signed in 2022.

“It gives a bad impression of the province that we do not honor agreements. We honor any contract even of the previous administration as long as it is right,” Guico said.

Manila Water attributed the termination of the concession agreement to “non-fulfillment of conditions precedent by PGP (Provincial Government of Pangasinan).”

Guico said that prior to the termination announcement, representatives from the provincial government and the MWC were scheduled to meet on the third week of this month to tackle the project.

“We are open for renegotiation and are welcoming such an important project. It is beneficial to the province and its people and we need it,” he said.

The governor, however, said the provincial government is also open to other proposals from other investors if the renegotiation with MWC will not materialize.

The provincial government and the consortium of MWC and its subsidiary Manila Water Philippines Ventures, Inc. signed a concession agreement on Jan. 14, 2022 for a 25-year bulk water supply project that will bring an additional 200 million liters of water per day to the province. (PNA)