Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna announced an aggressive drive to eliminate regulatory “red tape” to accelerate the rollout of water infrastructure across underserved Philippine provinces.
The department has empowered its regional offices to act as permitting accelerators and is establishing one-stop kiosks. These facilities will allow communities to track applications and access technical data with increased transparency as the government faces what Cuna described as “water bankruptcy.”
Speaking at a 2026 World Water Day event, likened the nation’s water resources to a failing machine. He said that a structural imbalance exists where national consumption is outpacing natural replenishment.
To address the shortage, the DENR Water Resources Management Office is executing the final phase of a P485-million roadmap. The 2026 tactical plan focuses on deploying high-performance systems to 59 additional barangays in water-stressed regions including Bohol, Palawan, Cebu and Masbate.
The engineering push includes the expansion of water filtration through the installation of desalination and freshwater systems. These units aim to provide potable water at costs reduced to P20 to P25 per container, down from previous rates of P50 to P70.
