Poe’s sees quick passage of water department bill

Sen. Grace Poe. (Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Grace Poe is optimistic that a bill seeking to create a Department of Water Services will be passed quickly after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his support for the proposal.

“No less than the chief executive has sounded the alarm over our precarious water supply situation, especially in the urban areas,” Poe said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“This is a good impetus to get things moving to have a Department of Water Services.”

Marcos renewed his push for creating a new department during last week’s meeting of the Legislative-Executive Advisory Council.

The Department of Water Resources would be the “principal policy, planning, coordinating, implementing, monitoring and administrative entity of the executive branch of the government,” according to the proposed National Water Resource Management Act that Poe resubmitted.

“Traditionally regarded as a free right, water is undervalued, wasted, and being depleted too fast. The situation calls for a thirsty solution that we hope our bill can offer,” Poe said.

“We need to wake up to the looming water crisis before [the] supply runs dry,” Poe said.

—KRISTELLE ANNE RAZON (TRAINEE)

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