The House Committee on Public Works and Highways and the Committee on Government Reorganization jointly approved the proposed Department of Water Resources (DWR) bill.
The measure’s principal sponsor, Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Romeo Momo Sr., has since earned praise for his reform that aims to secure the future of the country’s water.
The bill further gained momentum after the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., marked the bill as urgent.
“I express my highest gratitude to President Marcos for marking the Department of Water Resources bill as urgent under LEDAC. His decisive leadership ensures that we confront the water crisis not with temporary fixes, but with a unified and future-ready solution,” Momo said.
If enacted into law, the DWR would act as the primary agency responsible for mapping, planning, policy formulation, management, and regulation of all water resources, excluding fisheries and aquaculture.
A key feature of the said lawmaker’s proposal is declaring all water and water-treatment infrastructure as projects of national interest, expediting implementation, and reducing political bottlenecks.
“This is no longer just an infrastructure issue — this is about the survival, health, and dignity of every Filipino. The Department of Water Resources is a long-overdue reform that will finally put order and direction into our water sector,” Momo said.
The bill reorganizes and modernizes the water sector by attaching the Local Water Utilities Administration, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the National Irrigation Administration, and the Laguna Lake Development Authority to the newly formed department.
This would also entail the subsuming of several agencies and the transferring of key functions, including hydrological surveys, flood and sediment management, wetlands protection, and water research.
Consequently, two major institutions would be formed: the National Water Sector Policy Board and the Water Regulatory Commission.
The bill would also establish the Water Pollution Adjudication Board and the Water Trust Fund.
“This reform shows that Congress and the Executive are working hand in hand for the Filipino people,” Momo said.
The bill now moves to the House plenary for deliberation.
