Senator Alan Peter Cayetano joined 21 other senators in advocating for the creation of a centralized system to manage and conserve the country’s water resources, ensuring access to clean, safe, and reliable water.
Filed on August 7, 2024, Cayetano co-signed Senate Committee Report No. 281 endorsing and recommending the approval of Senate Bill No. 2771 which seeks to establish the Department of Water Resources and the Water Regulatory Commission.
Also known as the ‘National Water Resources Management Act,’ the proposal aims to create the Department of Water Resources as the “primary policy, planning, coordinating, implementing, monitoring, and administrative entity of the Executive Branch of the government responsible for the comprehensive, sustainable, climate-resilient, and integrated development and management of the water resources of the Philippines.”
Highlighting the importance of this move, Cayetano said the creation of the Department of Water Resources would significantly enhance the government’s ability to address issues such as water scarcity, pollution, and infrastructure inefficiencies.
“Other countries have 10-year plans about their water resources. This should also be the case in our country to address not only the current shortages but also about future-proofing our water systems against the growing impacts of climate change and population growth,” he said.
The proposal also includes the establishment of the Water Regulatory Commission, an independent, quasi-judicial body tasked with overseeing and regulating all water service providers, both private and public.
With the formation of these dedicated government agencies, Cayetano and other senators believe this initiative will not only address current water challenges but also lay the foundation for sustainable water management in the future, making the country more resilient to climate change and other environmental pressures.
Cayetano has long emphasized the importance of proactive measures to improve the country’s water management systems and protect public access to this essential resource.
“We’re all equally guilty na dahil it’s not in front of us, kung hindi pa nawalan ng tubig sa Metro Manila, hindi pa magkakandaugaga ang mga tao na merong water crisis,” he said in a media interview in 2019 when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives.