SONA pitch for Department of Water Resources delights ranking solon
Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera (Rep. Herrera's office)
A ranking congresswoman has thanked President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for pressing for the passage of the bill creating the Department of Water Resources (DWR) during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA). “We are ecstatic that the President mentioned as a priority the creation of the Department of Water, which is a bill that I have filed since the 15th Congress,” Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera said. "We thank the President for renewing his commitment to establishing a department dedicated to water resource management, and we will continue to work closely with his administration so he can fully deliver on his commitment," added Herrera, who is a deputy minority leader in the House of Representatives. Marcos delivered his 70-minute SONA before a joint session of Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) on Monday afternoon, July 24. Over the weekend, Herrera expressed hope the President will make another pitch for the DWR during his second SONA, saying its creation had never been more important and urgent amid a growing water crisis. In his speech, Marcos said his administration continues to coordinate with Congress to pass the measure to create the water resource department that will be tasked to implement necessary policy and resource reforms concerning the management of all water resources including irrigation, sewage and sanitation. Herrera filed in July 2022 House Bill (HB) No.1013, which seeks to create DWR; and HB No.1014, which aims to establish Water Regulatory Commission (WRC). She said the latter agency would be in charge of regulating water services in the country. The lady solon said her twin measures would help the country achieve universal access to safe, adequate, affordable and sustainable water services and sanitation for all Filipinos. Last February, the House Committees on Government Reorganization and on Public Works and Highways formed a technical working group to consolidate several measures on the creation of DWR and WRC, including those filed by Herrera.