Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda (Rep. Salceda's office)

Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda said the proposed creation of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will help address urban flooding issues by providing a framework for stormwater and drainage services. 

“There is no existing regulatory framework for stormwater and drainage management by the private sector in our laws. The Clean Water Act (RA 9275) merely mentions storm water in the context of sewage treatment standards," said the House Committee on Ways and Means chairman. 

“Nothing in our laws gives us a regulatory framework for stormwater management. This will change that,” Salceda said. 

On Wednesday, Aug. 30, the proposed National Water Act, which creates the DWR and the Water Regulatory Commission (WRC), was approved by the House Committees on Public Works and Government Reorganization. 

The two committees convened on Wednesday to discuss a total of 40 House bills that sought to establish the national framework for water resource management and create the DWR and WRC. 

“The National Water Act will fulfill the mandate of Executive Order No. 22, which creates the Water Resource Management Office to shepherd the eventual creation of the Department of Water Resources,” Salceda said. 

“This is also in line with President Marcos’s mention of the Department of Water Resource Management as an urgent presidential priority in the State of the Nation Address (SONA),” said the veteran solon, who was the principal author and technical working group (TWG) chairman for the National Water Act. 

Salceda explained that the bill “unifies policy-making, planning, and management for water and septage under a single department called DWR. The DWR secretary is given functions of presidential adviser on all water-related issues.” 

“The measure also unifies regulatory, rate-setting, and licensing functions under the Water Regulatory Commission, a quasi-judicial body similar to the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission); It also fills in policy gaps including water regulation in provincial areas,” he added.