By Liza Soriano
MANILA — Senator Grace Poe has renewed the call for the creation of a Department of Water Resources in an effort for the country to immediately respond to the water issues being felt nationwide.
“The irony is that although there is a horde of offices involved in water, no one agency has overall responsibility,” Poe said.
“Simply put: Our tubig sector is too big. So before we all sink, we need nothing less than a Titanic reform to prevent a Titanic disaster,” she added.
The senator likewise urged the private sector to work with the government in ensuring sustainable water management and access of the people to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Poe has filed the National Water Resource Management Act which pitches for the creation of a Department of Water Resources.
The said bill is pending at the committee level.
This new agency will be the primary policy planning, coordinating, and implementing entity responsible for the comprehensive and integrated development and management of water resources in the Philippines.
“Undoubtedly, the impact of having access to clean water is life-changing. But who decides which communities will receive this blessing? Consequently, one area that needs to be immediately addressed is our fragmented institutional, regulatory, and management framework,” Poe stressed.
Poe said that the creation of the proposed department is “urgent and needed” as water has become a critical resource worldwide.
(ai/mnm)
