The Senate Committee on Public Services will exert all efforts at passing the bill crrating the Department of Water Resources and Management this Congress as a means to solve the country's water crisis, Senator Grace Poe said.
Poe' said Senate Bill No. 102, one of the Marcos administration's priority measures, aims to put in place robust policies that will help address the country's water woes.
"We will endeavor to pass this definitely by this Congress because we have to, this is crucial," Poe said during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Services on the bill.
The senator warned the water shortage being felt in a number of provinces may repeatedly occur if the management of water resources is not addressed.
"Tagtuyot ngayon, baha naman sigurado sa susunod na buwan. Tila ito na ang reyalidad para sa ating mga kababayan taon-taon na lang (We now have drought, next month it's surely going to flood. This seems to be the reality now for our citizens every year)," Poe noted.
The creation of a Department of Water is expected to yield a comprehensive and integrated development and management of water resources in the country.
The lawmaker pointed out the prevailing water crisis hounding the Philippines is actually a crisis in the regulation of water resources and management.
"The problem is not that we don't have resources but that we do not effectively manage our resources," she stressed.
"Kailan tayo huling nagpatayo ng dam (When was the last time we built a dam)?" Poe asked, adding that Angat Dam in Bulacan was built in 1968 when the population was still small and water demand was still low.
To date, Poe said at least 131 cities and municipalities from Ilocos Norte to Cotabato have suffered immense water shortage and have already declared a state of calamity.
The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) estimated that out of 1,486 municipalities, approximately 332 that are mostly in urban poor spaces or in the poorest provinces, are considered waterless.
Poe also lamented that taps of households and businesses are dry during the El Niño season despite the presence of abundant water resources all over the archipelago.
Citing government data, the senator noted the Philippines has 421 river basins; 59 natural lakes; 100,000 hectares of freshwater swamps; 50,000 square kilometers of groundwater reservoir; and 2,400 millimeters of average rainfall throughout the year.
"Sa isang archipelago na napapalibutan ng tubig, nakakabahala na may mga lugar pa rin na walang malinis na tubig, at nakakahiya dahil ang mga bansang disyerto, parang mas wala pang water interruption kaysa sa atin (For an archipelago that's surrounded by water, it is disturbing that there are still places thst have no access to clean water, and it's embarassing because countries that have desert do not experience any water interruption). Our problem is the system," Poe said.
Though some government agencies are tasked to take charge of water supply and irrigation, not all have specializations on water management and regulation.
"With over 30 departments and line agencies handling water-related functions, coordination on vital programs and data collection has been very limited, if not nonexistent," Poe emphasized.