Marcos approves creation of water management office

MANILA, Philippines — A water resource management office will be created under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to ensure sufficient water supply for the country.

President Marcos approved a proposal seeking to establish the new office during a multisectoral meeting at Malacañang yesterday.

“That’s why we have to strengthen the mandate of the Water Resources Management Office (WRMO). We have to bring them together so that they are all following the overall plan,” Marcos said.

Marcos stressed the importance of having a roadmap for all water management agencies.

“So that whatever the relationship we come to with MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System), the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and the Water Board, DENR and this new Water Management Office, it has to be cohesive in the sense that the recommendation of the management office must be followed,” he said.

The President suggested that the WRMO’s first action should be reducing the country’s reliance on groundwater and deep wells as well as managing surface water supply.

“That’s as far as I could tell. We have sufficient... there’s enough water in the Philippines, we don’t just use (water), we also waste it,” he said partly in Filipino.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, an executive order will be crafted to enable the National Water Resources Board, MWSS and LWUA and the other water-related agencies of the DENR to have a collaborative mechanism under the WRMO to implement water management programs.

The WRMO will be under the DENR and will be a transitory body pending the creation of a Water Resources Department, one of the priority measures of the Marcos administration.

Marcos said the agency would set policies and implement structural reforms on water management to address issues including the critical supply of fresh water.

The WRMO’s main functions include formulating and ensuring the implementation of the Integrated Water Management Plan (IWMP), which will integrate various plans of different agencies.

The IWMP, which will serve as the main guiding document for the WRMO, will respond to the current environmental challenges and manage water resources through a concerted government effort engaging various sectors.

The WRMO is also tasked to champion, together with the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, the passage of a law creating an apex body, collaborate closely with all relevant agencies including local government units, private sector, civil society and the communities as well as perform other functions under the DENR.

The Philippines ranks among the world’s rapidly urbanizing countries, with over 47 percent of its population living in cities in 2021, requiring large water projects including bulk water supply and sanitation infrastructure.

It also has a significant part in the country’s energy mix, as hydropower represents seven percent of the total energy production in the country, and its contribution can be increased by as much as 15 percent by 2030.