Access to water supply and sanitation (WSS) facilities is not only considered as one of the most basic human need, but is also considered a human right. In 2002, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (UN CESCR) adopted General Comment No. 15 on the right to water, wherein it states that, the human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity, and is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights. This reinforced the right of everyone to reliable, reasonably priced, physically accessible, and sufficient water for domestic uses.
In Metro Manila, the designated utility for WSS service provision was unable to cope with the demand for efficient and quality service. Only 65% of the service area have access to water supply; furthermore, supply was intermittent where only 10% of the service area have access for an average of 16 hours each day (Fabella 2006). For this reason, the privatization of the WSS utility in Metro Manila was impelled by its failure to provide adequate service to the largest urban center in the Philippines. This was acknowledged as the largest water privatization project and would become a model for its kind in the coming decades. Private sector investment and financing through public-private partnership (PPP) for infrastructure development was used as a tool to improve the efficiency and service delivery to its users.
It is for these reasons that the research aims to understand the fundamental impacts of the partnership between the government, private sector, and communities in providing improved WSS service in the selected communities in Quezon City. Specifically, the research focused on assessing the potential role of the community in enhancing water and sanitation service provision in the selected communities in Quezon City.