President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is pushing for the reorganization of water management in the country through the creation of a Department of Water Resources.
“It’s a department because we are going to reorganize everything. But the original idea was that we will reorganize the entire water management process in the Philippines. But because of the exigencies of climate change, we really have to direct our efforts, our attention
to [water],” Mr. Marcos said.
The President made the remarks during the 6th Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council’s (LEDAC) full meeting at Malacañan Palace on Wednesday when asked if he is keen to turn the water resources department into an “umbrella agency” instead of an independent agency.
He told Senate President Francis Escudero that Malacañang will come up with an executive version of the Department of Water Resources bill, which the latter said will be used for debates in the Upper Chamber.
Under the adjusted priorities in water resources, the President said he prefers to give the flood control job directly to the water resources body with the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) as one of the coordinating agencies.
The President also argued that water problems such as flooding and irrigation can’t be solved on a piecemeal basis, prompting the need for a comprehensive plan.
“The mayor of a municipality will only think about what’s happening in their municipality. But water just doesn’t work that way. Water knows no boundaries, everywhere. As long as it’s possible to pass, it goes there… That’s why there has to be an overall plan. So, I really think that we have to include all of those agencies,” Marcos explained.
