President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. renewed his push to establish a Department of Water Resources to address the "critical" need for freshwater supply in the Philippines.
In a statement, Malacañang said Marcos made this remark in a meeting with top officials of Isabela province, who expressed support for the Chief Executive.
According to the Palace, Marcos said the immediate establishment of the Department of Water Resources would set policies and implement structural reforms on water management that will address various issues, particularly on the "critical" fresh water supply.
"Water is too important. Supply, our freshwater supply, is generally going down, and irrigation is not as widespread as it should be," the President said last week.
"The problem is too large that we need to have a team of experts directing the 20 different concerned agencies under one roof to ensure that they would manage our water resources efficiently," he added.
In his inaugural State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, Marcos included the establishment of the Department of Water Resources in the legislative agenda that he presented to Congress.
In August, the Office of the President (OP) wrote in a Facebook post that President Marcos was studying a proposal to adopt an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) program for the country.
"This program is an approach to promote the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize economic and social welfare without compromising our ecosystem," the OP said.
Marcos had said that he wanted the government to look into the freshwater supply situation in the country, especially in urban areas.
He noted that many of the country's water supply systems date back to the 1950s and must be rehabilitated and improved.