The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) said that focusing on water management policies would effectively mitigate the effects of the incoming El Niño phenomenon.

In a statement, ULAP National President and Quirino Governor Dakila Carlo E. Cua said that the country must focus on managing sustainable water resources before the dry weather strikes.

"It's about integrating the plans of water collection and water management because if we keep collecting rainwater, we are not pumping out the excess which could result in flooding,” Cua said.

He also emphasized that better water management could be useful in agriculture, industrial use, and domestic use, and even water recycling and ecosystem restoration.

“I think we just need more awareness so that all government offices and private investments will be aware of the masterplan on water,” Cua added.

The ULAP official commended the government’s water strategies which aligns itself with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations.

This includes his support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s action to create a separate department that handles water resource management.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives approved the third and final reading of the bill to create the Department of Water Resources (DWR) last December.

The DWR will have the power to have a comprehensive and integrated mapping of all water resources, as well as plan and formulate necessary policies.

The department will also manage ownership, appropriation, utilization, exploitation, development, sustainability, and protection of water resources in the country, excluding fisheries or aquaculture.

Once the bill is approved by all stages, the DWR will develop institutional meetings with various public water organizations and firms.

This secures active participation with all stakeholders in the water resource development, integration, and management activities, especially within sanitation, flood risk, and drought risk management.

Other than creating a separate agency, the bill also aimed for the creation of the Water Regulatory Commission, which will be an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory body responsible for assessing service public and private service providers.

Their coverage includes suppliers to subdivisions, sewerage, septage treatment, and other disposal services that utilize water.

“The measure seeks to reconstitute the National Water Resources Board as the National Water Resource Allocation Board, which would serve as the approval body for using water resources, including dam construction,” Presidential Communications Office explained.

Moreover, water development and sanitation projects as well as sustainability actions are said to have their own trust fund.