Two House committees approve legislation establishing the Department of Water Resources

PH | Two House committees approve legislation establishing the Department of Water Resources |  MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said in his second State of the Nation Address that creating the Department of Water Resources (DWR) was a top goal for the government. On Wednesday, two House committees gave their approval to a proposal to do just that.

The National Water Act was passed by the House Committees on Public Works and Highways and Government Reorganization. This bill would create the DWR and the Water Regulatory Commission.

The bill puts all of the planning, policymaking, and management for water and sewage into one body called DWR.

The DWR Secretary will act as the president’s advisor on all water-related matters.

The measure also puts all regulatory, rate-setting, and licensing duties under the Water Regulatory Commission, which is similar to the Energy Regulatory Commission in that it is a quasi-judicial body.

The main author of the bill, Rep. Joey Salceda of Albay, said that making the Department of Water Resources will help solve flooding problems in cities by setting up a system for stormwater and drainage services.

“The National Water Act will do what Executive Order No. 22 tells it to do,” Salceda said. “It will create the Water Resource Management Office, which will lead to the creation of the Department of Water Resources.” “This is also in line with what President Marcos said in his State of the Nation Address when he said that the Department of Water Resource Management was one of his top priorities.”

The bill also calls for the development of the National Water Resource Allocation Board, which would be in charge of approving how water resources are used, including the building of dams.

The DWR secretary will be in charge of running the board. Smaller decisions will be made by a technical group, and the DWR will have a secretariat called the Resource Allocation Office to handle day-to-day tasks.

Salceda said that the measure is the first in the country to set up a plan for managing rainwater.

“There is nothing in our rules about how stormwater and drainage should be managed by the private sector. The Clean Water Act (RA 925) only talks about storm water when it comes to guidelines for treating sewage. There is nothing in our rules that tells us how to manage stormwater. “That won’t be the case anymore,” Salceda said.

Salceda said that the bill gives priority to developing public water, which will cut down on the use of groundwater.

Marcos said in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) that he had already worked with Congress to pass a bill that would create the Department of Water Resource Management. This department would be in charge of making the necessary policy and resource changes to manage all water resources, including irrigation, sewage, and sanitation. (via PNA)