Difficult Start
Toward the end of 1997, Maynilad struggled to meet its service and financial obligations because of the Asian financial crisis and El Niño phenomenon. These events led to a string of financial, legal and regulatory disputes between Maynilad and MWSS.
In 2005, Benpres and Suez ceded management and control of Maynilad to MWSS. A competitive bidding was done by the Philippine Government the following year to re-privatize Maynilad.