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RG Cruz

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MANILA — The Senate began plenary deliberations on the proposed law creating the Department of Water Resources, with Senators Grace Poe and Joel Villanueva justifying the need for its creation.&quot;The root of our water crisis, however, is actually a crisis in regulation. The problem is not that we don&#x27;t have resources, but we do not effectively manage our resources,” Senator Grace Poe said in her sponsorship speech as she scored the absence of a master plan.&quot;Pero dahil nga sa kawalan ng masterplan, our water sector has operated like flawed and aging water pipes. Our pipes have been laid down in a haphazard manner, just like our water sector which has overlapping agencies and fragmented management. Without a clear framework to guide us, solutions have been limited to rearranging pipes and patching up leaks,” Poe explained.&quot;It is a universal truth that water is life. Without water, life as we know it would be impossible. Humans can go for up to one or two months without food, but we can only survive for a few days without water. The United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights,” Villanueva said in his co-sponsorship speech.Poe said there are at least 45 executive agencies composed of 15 departments, 16 attached agencies and the academe, and 14 bureaus or offices handling overlapping and sometimes even conflicting functions on water.&quot;All of them have their own water projects with little or no policy coordination or data-sharing,” Poe said.That&#x27;s aside from the about 700 water districts and thousands of local government units, private entities, and community-run water suppliers as well as the various regulators like the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), and LGUs.&quot;This failure in regulation is reflected in the water crisis that we find ourselves in today. As of 2024, 40 million Filipinos have no access to a formal water supply, according to the DENR. Halos 1/3 ng populasyon ang napipilitan kumuha ng tubig mula sa unsafe o untreated sources tulad ng sapa, bukal, at tubig-ulan,” Poe added.Poe said that the Department of Water Resources shall be the crucial apex body leading our water sector. Poe added that the Department shall fully absorb the National Water Resources Board (NWRB); Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA); DILG&#x27;s Water Supply and Sanitation Unit; and DENR&#x27;s River Basin Control Office, Manila Bay Coordinating Office, and Water Resource Management Office.&quot;The functions of the DPWH on the National Sewerage and Septage Management Program as well as the Manila Bay Task Force on the Pasig River Rehabilitation will likewise be transferred to the Department,” Poe said.&quot;It is our hope that the under the leadership of the Department of Water Resources, we also be able to explore cross-cutting solutions to the flooding that has plagued our country, as we saw recently during Typhoon Carina, such as rainwater harvesting. With this new department, we hope to ensure access to safe drinking water to even the most far-flung areas of our country,” Villanueva said.The proposed department will be tasked to develop the National Water Resources Management Plan which will provide the strategies and work we have to do to achieve water security. &quot;It shall establish a water resources data center and coordinate with all agencies on resource inventory, research, and data-sharing,” Poe added.The Socialized Credit Program of the Department in coordination with Landbank shall provide financial assistance to water service providers in lieu of LWUA&#x27;s loan program.It also  creates the National Water Sector Policy Council, composed of the heads of the Department of Water Resources, NEDA, DOH, DILG, DOE, DA, DSWD, DPWH, DBM, DENR, Office of the President, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, which shall harmonize policies and recommend programs for water and sanitation management and development.The grant of water rights and adjudication of water use conflicts of the absorbed NWRB shall be exercised by the Department through its Water Resources Adjudication Board to ensure equitable allocation of resources.Likewise the bill creates the Water Regulatory Commission as an independent quasi-judicial body regulating all water service providers from water supply, distribution, and bulk water sourcing to sanitation and sewerage services.&quot;By absorbing the economic regulatory functions of the MWSS, NWRB, and LWUA, the Commission shall be in charge of licensing water service providers, setting rates and tariffs, and ensuring their compliance with standards and performance targets,” Poe explained.The bill is a priority measure under the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council Common Legislative Agenda.

The Senate began plenary deliberations on the proposed law creating the Department of Water Resources, with Senators Grace Poe and Joel Villanueva justifying the need for its creation.

The Senate began plenary deliberations on the proposed law creating the Department of Water Resources, with Senators Grace Poe and Joel Villanueva justifying the need for its creation.

Senate kicks off plenary debates on Department Of Water Resources

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Senate kicks off plenary debates on Department Of Water Resources

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 12, 2024 11:48 PM PHT

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