Marcos names ex-solon as new LWUA chairperson
By Raymund Antonio and Raymund Antonio
Published May 24, 2023 08:26 am
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed former Ang Probinsyano Party-list Rep. Ronnie Ong as the new chairman of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).
Newly appointed Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) chairman Ronnie Ong (right) takes his oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin (left) in Malacañang. (Photo from the Office of the President)
The lawmaker was a member of the 18th Congress from 2019 to 2022, where he served as vice chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development and a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
“Access to safe, potable water is a basic right that should be given to each and every Filipino,” Ong said in a statement.
LWUA promotes and oversees the development of provincial and municipal water supply systems.
“Through LWUA, we hope to ensure that provincial areas, no matter how far-flung they are, are given universal access to safe water, sanitation as well as sustainable septage and sewerage management. Most of all, it is our vision to develop our local water districts into self-sustaining institutions,” he added.
The former lawmaker took his oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin in Malacañang.
Even before this appointment, Ong was already active in promoting access to potable water across communities, having once distributed portable community water filters to barangays in Bohol in the aftermath of Typhoon “Odette.”
“Nakasalalay ang buhay ng lahat sa tubig. At karapatan pa rin ng bawat mamamayan ang malinis at maayos na supply ng tubig kahit pa may bagyo, kalamidad, bagong pandemya na dumating (Our lives depend on water. And every person has the right to access clean water supply despite typhoons, calamities, or a new pandemic),” Ong said.
“We will continue to work with the same innovation as we did as a policymaker and as a man on-the-ground in actively helping our people in need. This time, through LWUA, we will make sure that each local water district is sustainable and self-reliant, therefore positively impacting the communities they are in – above and beyond,” he added.
He was most notably known as the frontliner congressman as he he took an active role on the ground in many provinces during the height of the pandemic.
Some of his projects were “Tulong sa Senior Citizen Work Program”, which provided employment to senior citizens at airports, government agencies, hospitals, and universities, and the “E-skwela Hubs” around the country.
Ong is known for being a pioneer of animal welfare and had even worked with various animal rescue organization during his time in Congress.
As chairman of the agency, he would be working closely with the Water Resources Management Office created recently through an Executive Order.
Together, they are expected to craft a cohesive water policy and address the demands of a growing population and the effects of infrastructure delays and climate change.
Newly appointed Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) chairman Ronnie Ong (right) takes his oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin (left) in Malacañang. (Photo from the Office of the President)
The lawmaker was a member of the 18th Congress from 2019 to 2022, where he served as vice chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development and a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
“Access to safe, potable water is a basic right that should be given to each and every Filipino,” Ong said in a statement.
LWUA promotes and oversees the development of provincial and municipal water supply systems.
“Through LWUA, we hope to ensure that provincial areas, no matter how far-flung they are, are given universal access to safe water, sanitation as well as sustainable septage and sewerage management. Most of all, it is our vision to develop our local water districts into self-sustaining institutions,” he added.
The former lawmaker took his oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin in Malacañang.
Even before this appointment, Ong was already active in promoting access to potable water across communities, having once distributed portable community water filters to barangays in Bohol in the aftermath of Typhoon “Odette.”
“Nakasalalay ang buhay ng lahat sa tubig. At karapatan pa rin ng bawat mamamayan ang malinis at maayos na supply ng tubig kahit pa may bagyo, kalamidad, bagong pandemya na dumating (Our lives depend on water. And every person has the right to access clean water supply despite typhoons, calamities, or a new pandemic),” Ong said.
“We will continue to work with the same innovation as we did as a policymaker and as a man on-the-ground in actively helping our people in need. This time, through LWUA, we will make sure that each local water district is sustainable and self-reliant, therefore positively impacting the communities they are in – above and beyond,” he added.
He was most notably known as the frontliner congressman as he he took an active role on the ground in many provinces during the height of the pandemic.
Some of his projects were “Tulong sa Senior Citizen Work Program”, which provided employment to senior citizens at airports, government agencies, hospitals, and universities, and the “E-skwela Hubs” around the country.
Ong is known for being a pioneer of animal welfare and had even worked with various animal rescue organization during his time in Congress.
As chairman of the agency, he would be working closely with the Water Resources Management Office created recently through an Executive Order.
Together, they are expected to craft a cohesive water policy and address the demands of a growing population and the effects of infrastructure delays and climate change.