"This man had been advocating the creation of the Department of Water even before the crisis was felt."
"This man had been advocating the creation of the Department of Water even before the crisis was felt."
He may no longer be the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs having thrown his hat in the senatorial race, but still, lawyer Francis “Tol” Tolentino has the ear of President Rodrigo Duterte every time he speaks. Even when he is on the campaign trail.
Just the other day, the Duterte administration expressed openness to the idea of creating a Department of Water to address supply issues involving the resource, which just happens to be what Tolentino has been saying since last year when he warned of an impending water crisis.
Backtracking on his earlier pronouncement when he arbitrarily declared there is no need for a water department, Presidential Spokesman Sal Panelo said: “A roadmap was presented, which included immediate, medium and long-term interventions, such as making an intensive campaign for the conservation of water and energy, creating a Department of Water and a Department of Disaster Resilience, dredging of waterways, replacing tunnels and aqueducts, installing water tank systems in all Department of Health hospitals and providing funding for the establishment of water treatment plants.”
Actually, it was Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia who pushed for creating a water department during a Cabinet meeting, months after Tol broached the idea of creating the said agency.
Last year, Tol warned of an impending water crisis with the projected onset of the El Niño phenomenon this year.
“We are already experiencing water rationing and yet PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration) hasn’t even announced the onset of El Niño,” said Tolentino, who issued a warning of the looming water crisis as early as last year.
The former Cabinet secretary cited the current situation in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.
“Parched lands are now already visible in Pagudpud and this could only attest that the threat of a water crisis more severe than the one we are presently experiencing is real,” Tolentino averred.
“And the threat that this water crisis can do to affect the development of the country and the health of the Filipinos is really bothersome,” he stressed.
Aggravating the situation, Tolentino said, is the destruction of natural sources of water due to pollution and reclamation.
Under Tolentino’s proposal, the proposed agency will consolidate the functions of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, Local Water Utilities Administration, the National Water Resources Board and National Irrigation Administration in order that all government resources will target solutions to the impending water shortage.
“This will be similar to the Department of Water in Pakistan and Thailand,” he said.
Included in Tol’s proposals are the use of water desalination equipment to recycle and reuse water, and further, adopting the policy of water recycling as part of the National Building Code, which should be amended for this purpose.
The former MMDA chairman fears that an even greater catastrophic drought will hit the country in 2025. Still, there is enough time for Duterte and the next Congress to act on preparatory legislation to avert another major water crisis.
And hopefully, the former President’s adviser will be part of that roster to give deeper insights on how the water situation could be addressed.