5-year-old water supply problem in Marawi City irks Padilla

Sen. Robin Padilla Senate PRIB file photo / Joseph Vidal

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Robin Padilla on Monday vowed to  scrutinize the proposed budget of  Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) next  year after its failure to address the water problem in Marawi City.

For Padilla, it is unacceptable that residents of Marawi City  still suffer from water supply five years after terrorist groups laid siege to it.

“Sana  po unahin nyo naman po ang tubig (I hope you prioritize this water problem),” the senator  asked LWUA during the hearing of the Senate special committee on Marawi City rehabilitation and victims compensation.

“Sana maayos man lang po ito kasi napakahalaga po sa pananampalataya po namin. Limang  beses kaming naghuhugas para magdasal. Pag kami tumabi sa asawa namin hindi kami pwedeng bumangon sa umaga nang hindi kami maliligo.”

(I hope you can address this because  it’s very important  in our religion. We  wash five times before we pray. When we sleep with our wife, we can’t just go on with our day without taking a bath.)

“Napakahalaga po e. Kung bibilangin po ako po e tatlong beses akong maligo e. Mahal ko yung asawa ko, papano ho yung iba? Sana ho sir Rodney  maayos  nyo po  itong tubig, tubig po mahalaga,”  Padilla went  on, directing  his message to LWUA strategy management department manager Rodney Peralta.

(This is really  important for us. We take a bath three times but how  about the others? I  hope you can address  this  water, this is important.)

Responding to  the senator,  Peralta informed the body that the project is ongoing  and is already  in the design stage.

Padilla was not satisfied with the explanation.

“Mr. chairman, design pa rin? Nasa design pa rin  po kayo?”  he asked.

Peralta  explained the problems  surrounding the project,  including the site acquisition which  happens to be inside a military camp.

But Padilla insisted that the five-year delay  in addressing the water problem in the area  was  not acceptable.

“Itong Local Water Utilities Administration na ito, noong 2022 binigyan sila ng napakalaking budget pero ngayong 2023 binawasan sila ng 98 porsyento. Siguro isang pagpatunay yun na hindi nagtatrabaho  itong  mga ito…” he later said.

(This Local Water Utilities Administration was given a big budget for 2022 but for 2023 it was slashed by 98 percent. Maybe this is a sign that it is not doing its job…)

“Hindi katanggap-tanggap sa akin yun e. Hindi ko matanggap,  limang taon na e. Kung ito kahapon lang, pwede kong matanggap pero nakita ko ang paghihirap ng mga kapatid ko doon. Hindi nila gusto  yung nangyari sa kanila doon Mr. Rodney Peralta. Hindi ko ho matatanggap yung mga paliwanag  po ninyo.”

(The explanation is not acceptable to me. It has been five years. Had it been just yesterday, I would have accepted it , but I have seen our brethren in Marawi suffer, and I do not want that.)

Padilla then told LWUA  to expect him  when   the Senate  tackles their budget  next month.

“Asahan ninyo ang pagmumukha ko doon [expect to see me there],”  the senator said.

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