Gov’t tasked to ensure water for 40M Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the government to come up with concrete strategies to ensure sufficient water supply for at least 40 million Filipinos lacking access to potable water, Malacañang said on Tuesday. 

“Forty million is too large a number to live with,” Marcos said during a sectoral meeting at Malacañan Palace.

According to Environment Undersecretary Carlos Primo David, out of the more than 7,600 islands in the country, 5,500 are small islands without access to clean water. 

David said that one of the strategies to address the problem was establishing modular desalination systems, which can remove salts to generate clean water. A desalination system costs around P5 to P8 million, and can serve up to 500 households. 

“Many funding sources are being considered. Of course, government funds. We’re also exploring the possibility of soft loans. I also brought up to the president the idea of issuing government bonds for water projects and, of course, public-private partnerships,” he said in Filipino during a press briefing.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan also said that Marcos had directed him to integrate the department’s flood control management programs with other sectors to conserve water for irrigation, household consumption, and power generation. 

In 2023, Marcos approved the creation of the Water Resource Management Office to manage the country’s water resources and deal with environmental issues associated with water. — Gaea Katreena Cabico