At A Glance
- Senator Grace Poe hopes that the public won't have to queue up just to get their supply of water amid the worsening El Niño phenomenon.
Senator Grace Poe hopes that the public won't have to queue up just to get their supply of water amid the worsening El Niño phenomenon.
"Mahalaga na laging may dumadaloy na malinis na tubig sa bawat tahanan (It's important that there's always access to clean water in every home)," she said in a statement.
Poe, who heads the Senate Public Services Committee, said that the assurance of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) that it has prepared extensively for El Niño was welcome news to consumers, who have to grapple with water shortage yearly when rains don't occur often.
She said that they will continue to work for the passage of the bill creating a Department of Water Resources (DWR), which would lead and consolidate whole-of-society efforts for the comprehensive and integrated development and management of water resources.
"We need this new body amid the rising demand for water with the population growth and increasing commercial activities," she added.
Poe said that the preparations of the water regulator and concessionaires during the dry months should be complemented by proper policies to spare the people from the brunt of the perennial water crisis.
President Marcos recently approved the reactivation of an El Niño task force to mitigate the effects of the phenomenon that is seen to persist until the end of the second quarter of next year.
The task force will focus on five key sectors, namely water, agriculture, energy, health, and public safety.