Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday urged her fellow lawmakers to pursue the passage of the Department of Water Resources Management (DWR) bill after it was requested to the Congress by President Ferdinand R. Marcso Jr. in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“Let’s seize the moment stirred by the President’s marching orders to finally pass the Department of Water Resources Management bill. Water deserves serious focus and consolidated effort. We must act before the crisis exacerbates,” Poe said in a statement.

With the President’s pronouncement, Poe hopes that the push for a water department law can take a step forward.

“Ang tubig ay kasing-halaga rin ng pagkain. Kailangan nating tiyakin na may sapat at malinis na tubig para sa lahat at sa mga susunod na salinlahi. Kasama na rito ang tubig na ginagamit natin para sa mga sakahan (Water is important as food. We need to ensure that we have enough and clean water for all and for the next generation. This should include the water that we use in agriculture),” the lawmaker pointed out.

Considering its importance, President Marcos said in his SONA that water security deserves special focus.

“Our efforts must not be scattershot, but rather, cohesive, centralized, and systematic,” Marcos said noting that he initially created the Water Resources Management Office given the urgency to handle the country’s water resource.

“Nakikipag-ugnayan tayo sa Kongreso upang maipasa ang batas para sa pagbuo ng isang (We are coordinating with the Congress to pass a law that will create a) Department of Water Resource Management,” he added.

The national government has allocated this year PHP14.6 billion for water supply projects all over the country.

President Marcos said the first phase of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project has already boosted the water supply of Metro Manila and Rizal and expected to increase as the project enters its second phase.

He said the looming dry spell brought about by El Niño is also being addressed by installing six thousand rainwater collection systems across the country. (PNA)