Senator Lito Lapid has called for cooperation between the government and the private sector to solve the water crisis in the Philippines.
In his speech at the 30th PWWA International Conference and Exhibition in Boracay, Lapid stated that water plays an important role in sustaining the country’s tourism, agriculture and economy.
According to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism, no part of the country should be deprived of water and its supply should be stable and sustainable throughout the Philippines.
“There’s a looming water crisis that we have to deal with before it becomes a serious problem for our country.”
“For all we know, there’s a looming water crisis that we have to deal with before it becomes a serious problem for our country,” the veteran legislator said.
“My bill to create the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will be in charge of all operations related to water management in our country.”
The seasoned lawmaker noted that many areas still lack the infrastructure to meet the needs of their district.
“This is because they have become old or disabled by rapid population growth or development. Others have been damaged by severe storms and other disasters,” according to the senator.
As a priority of President Bongbong Marcos, Jr., Lapid is calling on his fellow senators to immediately approve his proposal to establish a Department of Water Resources as a centralized agency that will focus on funding, development of resources and infrastructures and expansion of the country’s water supply, which can be depleted in the event of storms and floods.
“My bill to create the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will be in charge of all operations related to water management in our country. It is in Senate Bill No. 2771 that is now in the Senate’s plenary,” Lapid explained.
“With the DWR, we will be able to bring drinking water to even the most remote areas of our town and we will ensure that there is clean, and affordable water for everyone,” he added.
In September 2024, Marcos pushed for the reorganization of water management in the country with the creation of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) at the sixth meeting of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
Last year, the President signed Executive Order No. 22 mandating the creation of a Water Resources Management Office, under the supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
According to a study by the UN and UNICEF, 53 percent of households in the Philippines do not have access to clean drinking water.
