Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Isko Moreno Domagoso on Sunday vowed that if elected president, he will prioritize the access to clean, potable water for millions of Filipinos who still have no access to clean water right inside their homes, despite being one of the minimum basic needs of a human being.
Based on the data he received, Moreno deplored that only 33 percent of the population in the Ilocos region has access to clean and potable water while in Mindanao, there is an area in the southern island where only 8 percent of the population has access to clean drinking water.
“That’s why they get a lot of pain, I mean, stomach ache and diarrhea in the region. So, my countrymen, we’ll make this watershed protected. If we can rebuild and make it better for efficient use of a two-pronged approach-you have water for irrigation and you have water for energy source. Then I will invest on that. May awa ang Diyos,” Moreno said during the Commission on Elections-sponsored“ PiliPinas Debates 2022: The Turning Point Part 2. ”
The Manila city mayor said he will also ask existing cooperatives. regardless if they are owned or not by big corporations, to invest in providing clean water to all households.
Safe and readily available water is important for public health, whether it is used for drinking, domestic use, food production, or recreational purposes. Improved water supply and sanitation, and better management of water resources, can boost a country’s economic growth and can contribute greatly to poverty reduction.
In a media interview after the debates, Moreno deplored that for many years different rich and influential families have ruled the region but despite them being in power, they have not made any strides in providing their constituents with safe and potable water.
He said the problem should immediately be addressed because people not having access to clean and potable water are vulnerable to diseases which will impact on the health sector as added cost.
“But Metro Manila is enjoying it. Why not the same things that other areas, geography? So the local district water, we will look into it. Do they need financial support to develop their facility to reach more households? If that is the case, then we will do, we will help. Why not? Now, if there is a contract between private sectors in that particular area, we’ll ask them how come you’re not reinvesting? Because if they are just happy with their income now at the expense of the Filipinos or households, I think that is wrong attitude. I will look into it, definitely,” he pointed out.
Moreno said protecting the country’s watersheds will also come a long way to ensure that every Filipino in the country can drink clean and potable water.
Moreno vowed that if elected president, his administration will pursue a “Life and Livelihood” economic policy that aims to address poverty, hunger, unemployment, inequality and social injustice through an inclusive and equitable infrastructure development program as spelled out under his 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda.
To achieve this, his administration will continue the Build, Build Build program of President Rodrigo Duterte, with a focus on building more public housing, more public schools, and more public hospitals across the country to create more jobs and opportunities for our people.
To further alleviate the plight of the masses and protect industries, he will work closely with Congress to reduce the taxes on two of the most basic of commodities – petroleum and electricity.
Meanwhile, Moreno also said he will push for political reforms that includes the return to a two-party system, tandem voting for president and vice president similar to the United States and the election of two senators by region for a total of 34 senators.
Moreno is also keen in making the Party-list voted by region similar to the his plan for the Senate as this will ensure proper representation from under-represented sectors, including farmers, fisherfolks, urban and rural poor and indigenous peoples living in far-flung provinces.
Moreno said a return to a two-party system and the election of two senators per region is also a way of solving the problem of political dynasty, which was one of the issues discussed during Sunday’s presidential debates at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Manila.
Moreno also maintained that the Party-list must continue but he hastened to add that safeguards must be put in place though the empowerment of the Commission on Elections which will determine if a Party-list is really a party-list of the marginalized and under-represented sectors.
The 47-year-old presidential bet said the concept of Party-list has been bastardized that even the rich can be Party-list representatives and a number of party-list groups are even extensions of political dynasties and local contractors.
The issue of corruption with special focus on the reported P700 billion from the national budget that is wasted on corruption was the first issue asked by moderator and veteran broadcast journalist Ces Orena-Drilon to the nine presidential candidates who were present.
Asked about the cause of corruption (whether human weakness or faulty system) and the corresponding solution to the problem, Moreno was quick to answer that the system is the cause of corruption