ITINUTULAK ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ang muling pagsasaayos ng water management sa bansa sa pamamagitan ng paglikha ng Department of Water Resources.
“It’s a department because we are going to reorganize everything. But the original idea was that we will reorganize the entire water management process in the Philippines. But because of the exigencies of climate change, we really have to direct our efforts, our attention to [water],” ayon kay Pangulong Marcos.
Ipinahayag ito ni Pangulong Marcos sa isinagawang 6th Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council’s (LEDAC) full meeting sa Palasyo ng Malakanyang, araw ng Miyerkules nang tanungin kung masigasig ito na gawing “umbrella agency” ang water resources department sa halip na isang independent agency.
Sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos kay Senate President Francis Escudero na magpapalabas ang Malakanyang ng executive version ng Department of Water Resources bill, kung saan sinabi naman ni Escudero na gagamitin ito para sa debate sa Senado.
Sa ilalim ng adjusted priorities sa water resources, sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos na mas gusto niya na magbigay ng flood control job direkta sa water resources body kasama ang National Irrigation Authority (NIA) bilang isa sa ‘coordinating agencies.’
Binigyang katuwiran din ng Pangulo na ang problema sa tubig gaya ng pagbaha at irigasyon ay hindi malulutas sa pamamagitan ng ‘piecemeal basis’, pagsusulong sa pangangailangan para sa komprehensibong plano.
“The mayor of a municipality will only think about what’s happening in their municipality. But water just not work that way. Hindi nangingilala ng boundary ang tubig, kung saan-saan. Basta kung saan ‘yung puwedeng daanan, dumadaan doon,” ang paliwanag ng Chief Executive.
“That’s why there has to be an overall plan. So, I really think that the we have to include all of those agencies,” aniya pa rin. Kris Jose
