Philippine Association of Water Districts, Inc. (PAWD) 44th Annual Convention
Theme: “Water Districts: Accelerating Action Towards a Water Secure Nation.”

April 13, 2023
SMX Convention Center, Function Rooms 4-5

HIS EXCELLENCY SHAMBHU S. KUMARAN, AMBASSADOR OF INDIA TO THE PHILIPPINES ***
HONORABLE IMELDA CALIXTO-RUBIANO, MAYOR OF PASAY CITY
MR. MANOLITO MENDOZA, PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF WATER DISTRICTS
MR. JOSE MABULAY, JR., CHAIRPERSON OF THE PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF WATER DISTRICTS
MR. VICENTE HOMER REVIL, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE LOCAL WATER UTILITIES ADMINISTRATION
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

GOOD MORNING.

WATER IS ESSENTIAL TO ALL LIFE ON EARTH. THE WAY WE USE AND TREAT THIS PRECIOUS RESOURCE NOT ONLY IMPACTS OUR HEALTH AND OUR WELLBEING, IT ALSO IMPACTS ALL LIFE DEPENDENT ON WATER. IT IS INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL. HOWEVER, MAN MADE CHOICES THAT RESULT IN POLLUTION, OVER-EXTRACTION, AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE JUST SOME ISSUES THAT CONTINUE TO UNDERMINE THE AVAILABILITY, QUALITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF WATER FOR ALL.

THE UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER GUARANTEES EVERYONE THE RIGHT TO SUFFICIENT, SAFE, ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE WATER, AS WELL AS ACCESS TO SAFE, ACCEPTABLE AND HYGIENIC SANITATION. THE PERCEPTION OF WATER AS BOTH A HUMAN RIGHT AND A COMMON PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOOD IS OFTEN OPPOSED BY THE VIEW OF WATER AS A COMMODITY. THIS IS WHERE THE IMPORTANCE OF EVIDENCE-INFORMED AND RESPONSIVE GOVERNANCE ON THE PART OF YOUR WORK AS PAWD LIES. ITS KEY ROLES MUST INCLUDE THE ALIGNMENT OF WATER PERSPECTIVES AND MEDIATE COMPETING DEMAND TO ALLOW PEACEFUL AND EFFECTIVE INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE USE BY ALL.

INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROMOTES COORDINATED DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF WATER, LAND, AND RELATED RESOURCES IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL WELFARE IN AN EQUITABLE MANNER WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF VITAL ECOSYSTEMS. IT SETS OUT GUIDELINES FOR THE ALLOCATION OF WATER AS A RESOURCE FOR A RANGE OF DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES.

THE PHILIPPINES IS, HOWEVER LIKE MANY OTHER COUNTRIES, FACED MANY CHALLENGES OF MANAGING THE COMPETING DEMANDS FOR WATER OF DIFFERENT SECTORS INCLUDING FOOD PRODUCTION, INDUSTRY, ENERGY PRODUCTION, TRANSPORTATION, AGRICULTURE, TOURISM, AND PUBLIC HEALTH TO NAME A FEW. THESE, COUPLED WITH POPULATION GROWTH, RAPID URBANIZATION, POLLUTION, AND EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE PUT A HUGE STRAIN ON OUR COUNTRY’S WATER SUPPLY AND ITS QUALITY.

AS THE PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF WATER DISTRICTS, YOUR JOB IS TO LOCALLY MANAGE WATER DISTRIBUTION AND SANITATION SO THAT IT DOES NOT MULTIPLY RISKS AND INCREASE VULNERABILITY. THIS TASK IS MADE MORE COMPLEX AS THE COMBINATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE, LAND DEGRADATION, DEFICIENT INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THE DIFFERENTIATED DEMANDS INTERSECT WATER STRESS. AMONG THESE, HOWEVER, CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEGRADATION POSE SYSTEMIC RISKS. IT DIRECTLY IMPACTS WATER, ITS AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY, SANITATION NEEDS, AND THE DEMAND FOR HYGIENE (WASH) SERVICES FOR ALL ECONOMIC, SOCIAL , ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTIONS. UNCERTAINTY IN CLIMATE CHANGE PLACES ADDITIONAL PRESSURE ON COMMUNITIES ALREADY FACE WATER STRESS.

WE MUST THEREFORE TAKE AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER MANAGEMENT THAT PROTECTS AND ADVANCES HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY TOGETHER. THE MINIMUM STANDARD OF WATER THAT IS SUFFICIENT FOR LIFE, HEALTH, AND HUMAN DIGNITY SHOULD BE DETERMINED BASED ON A LOCAL ASSESSMENT, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT EACH LOCALITY’S UNIQUE ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, AND CULTURAL CONTEXT.

TODAY, MORE THAN EVER, THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED FOR NEXUS GOVERNANCE FOR CLIMATE AND DISASTER RESILIENCE – ONE THAT PURSUE STRATEGIC BALANCE BETWEEN SUPPLY AND CONSUMPTION OF WATER FOR ALL OUR NEEDS, HEALTH, FOOD, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY. BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH EQUITY IN THE WATER SECTOR REQUIRES US TO GO BEYOND ADDRESSING THE PHYSICAL RISKS TO CONSIDER ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC RISKS, AND GOVERNANCE.

DESPITE OUR EFFORTS, AROUND 11 MILLION FILIPINOS STILL HAVE NO ACCESS OR RELY ON “UNSAFE WATER RESOURCES.” ACCORDING TO A 2018 REPORT BY THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION, THE PHILIPPINES IS ALSO AMONG 32 COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST LEAD OF WATER STRESS LEVELS.

IN LAST YEAR’S SONA, PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS, JR. STATED “WE WILL LOOK INTO THE PRECARIOUS FRESH WATER SUPPLY SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY IN OUR URBAN AREAS, MANY OF OUR WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS DATE BACK TO THE 1950S AND THEY MUST NOW BE REHABILITATED AND IMPROVED.”

THIS ADMINISTRATION IS MOVING DECISIVELY IN THIS DIRECTION. THE PRESIDENT HAS DIRECTED THE CREATION OF THE WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OFFICE (WRMO) UNDER THE DENR TO ACHIEVE WATER SECURITY BY INTEGRATING THE FUNCTIONS OF ALL AGENCIES WITH WATER-RELATED MANDATES. THIS APEX BODY IS A FIRST IN OUR COUNTRY’S HISTORY AND WILL STRENGTHEN THE COORDINATION AMONG VARIOUS AGENCIES, PROVIDE A VENUE FOR COHERENT POLICY FORMULATION, AND RATIONALIZE FUNCTIONS TO ADDRESS CROSS-SECTORAL NEEDS.

AS WE ENTER THIS NEW PHASE OF WATER GOVERNANCE FOR INCLUSIVE RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THE DENR AND ITS PARTNERS IN LUWA AND PAWD SHOULD WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF PROVIDING SAFE DRINKING WATER SUPPLY, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE NEEDS THAT ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO IMPROVING STANDARDS OF LIVING, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, AND SOCIAL OUTCOMES. OUR COUNTRY HAS POLICIES AND PLANS IN PLACE TO REALIZE THIS VISION.

THE PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN (2023-2028) WHICH AIMS TO ATTAIN WATER SECURITY, ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF WATER SYSTEMS, AND RESILIENCE TO WATER HAZARDS IS ALIGNED WITH SDG 6: “ENSURE AVAILABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION FOR ALL.” THE PHILIPPINE WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION MASTER PLAN (PWSSMP) 2019-2030 ALSO PRESENTS ACTIONS FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO SAFE WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION BY 2030.

TO ACCELERATE THE ACCOUNTING AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF OUR NATURAL CAPITAL, INCLUDING WATER, DENR HAS NOW ESTABLISHED THE NATIONAL NATURAL GEOSPATIAL DATABASE FOR NATURAL RESOURCES. THIS SERVES AS A PLATFORM FOR JOINT SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR PLANNING AND COHERENT IMPLEMENTATION OF CROSS CUTTING DEVELOPMENT GOALS, POLICIES, ACTIONS AND PROGRAMS. IT CAN ALSO DE-RISK INVESTMENTS, AND IMPROVE WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT DOWN TO THE COMMUNITY LEVEL. AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS, WE ARE USING A PHYSICAL DATABASE TO WORK WITH THE DPWH, DILG, NEDA AND LUWA TO IDENTIFY THE BEST SOURCES OF SURFACE WATER FOR LOCAL TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF COMMUNITIES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS.

WE THEREFORE ENJOIN PAWD TO ADOPT AN ALL HAZARDS AND RISK-INFORMED INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO PROVIDING ACCESS TO SAFE, SUFFICIENT, AFFORDABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLY TO ALL ITS CONSTITUENCIES AND CUSTOMERS.

IN MANY WAYS, WATER IS CONSIDERED AS A LOCAL RESOURCE. CHANGES TO WATER QUANTITY AND/OR QUALITY HAVE DIRECT IMPACTS ON THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS AND THE POPULATION. THESE DEMANDS VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL COOPERATION IN GOVERNANCE, VERTICAL INTEGRATION TO ENSURE ALIGNMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT WATER-RELATED POLICIES AND ACTIONS WITH THE PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN. BUT EQUITABLE SHARING AND SUSTAINABLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND HORIZONTAL GOVERNANCE OF WATER IS VERY MUCH WITHIN THE WATER DISTRICTS HANDS.

WATER NOT ONLY PRESENTS US WITH CHALLENGES, IT CAN BE THE LEVERAGE POINT FOR A GREEN ECONOMY.

THE DENR BELIEVES THAT WE NEED TO VALUE AND MANAGE WATER BETTER, AND TAKE CONCERTED ACTION TO ACHIEVE WATER-RELATED GOALS AND TARGETS. BY WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN IDENTIFY POSSIBLE CHALLENGES AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS IN THE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES. THERE MUST BE GREATER CONVERGENCE IN OUR INSTITUTIONS IN PLANNING, INVESTMENT PROGRAMMING, BUDGETING, IMPLEMENTATION, AND MONITORING AND EVALUATION. THAT GREATER CONVERGENCE NEEDS TO CONFRONT THE COMPLEXITIES OF OUR RAPIDLY URBANIZING WORLD.

RAPID AND UNREGULATED URBANIZATION MULTIPLIES RISK AND INCREASES BOTH EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY. ALL CHALLENGES THAT MUST BE FACED IN THIS REGARD, IS ONE AREA THAT IS BEING REVIEWED AND REEVALUATED AGAINST THE INTERSECTING AND DYNAMIC THREATS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER DEMAND, GEOLOGICAL HAZARDS, AND DIGNITY AND LIVELIHOOD OF OUR COMMUNITIES, IS THE ISSUE FOR EXAMPLE OF RECLAMATION. ON THIS ISSUE, WE CAN TAKE GREATER METRO MANILA AS A CRITICAL CASE THAT CAN BE ONE FOR LESSONS LEARNED BY LGUS AND THEIR PARTNERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

WATER MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY IS AND HAS BEEN A PRESSING ISSUE FOR THE GREATER METRO MANILA AREA. BECAUSE THE COMBINED SCALE OF RECLAMATION PROJECTS TODAY IS EXPECTED TO BE QUITE LARGER THAN THE CITY OF MANILA, THESE CHALLENGES ARE NOW MADE MORE COMPLEX AND WILL MULTIPLY. AS YOU KNOW, SCIENTISTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES ESTABLISHED MANY YEARS AGO THAT LAND SUBSIDENCE IN THE COASTAL AREAS OF MANILA BAY DUE TO THE DRAWING OF GROUNDWATER IS AMONG THE FASTEST IN THE REGION. AT THE SAME TIME, SEA LEVEL RISE ALONG OUR COASTS IS AMONG THE FASTEST IN THE WORLD. IT IS AT THREE TIMES FASTER THAN THE GLOBAL AVERAGE. STORM SURGE ALONG MANILA BAY ALREADY EXACERBATES FLOODING DUE TO OUR LOW ELEVATION AND INSUFFICIENT INFRASTRUCTURE. ALL THESE COMBINED WITH UNCERTAINTY DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER HAZARD, SUCH AS THE THREAT OF TSUNAMI FROM THE MOVEMENT OF THE MANILA TRENCH ARE CAUSES FOR CONCERN. BECAUSE OF THE SCALE AND THE ECOLOGICAL DISTURBANCE THAT THESE PROJECTS MAY BRING, LIVELIHOODS THAT DEPEND ON WATER, WHETHER FISHING ALONG THE COAST OR THE MSMES THAT RELY ON WATER AS A RESOURCE WILL SOMEHOW BE IMPACTED AND NEED SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROTECTION.

THE DENR UNDERSTANDS THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDIES OF EACH PROJECT WERE MADE INDEPENDENTLY AND LAND USE CHANGES HAPPENS SINCE THEY WERE CONDUCTED. DUE TO THE INTERSECTING PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL VULNERABILITIES, AND THE DYNAMIC RISK HORIZON, WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH THE NEED TO CONDUCT UPDATING AND INTEGRATION OF THE STUDY OF RECLAMATION. ALL THE PROJECTS RELATED TO THIS, LIKE QUARRYING AS WELL.

WE NEED TO INCLUDE THE REVIEW OF THE GOVERNMENT-COMMISSIONED MANILA BAY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MASTERPLAN, WHICH CAN BE A BENCHMARK FOR OTHER MASTERPLANS IN THE COUNTRY, AS AGAINST THE RECLAMATION PROJECTS IN MANILA BAY AND TO REVISIT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE CERTIFICATES SO THEY PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR WATER SECURITY FOR ALL.

I’D LIKE TO CLOSE MY MESSAGE TODAY BY SHARING SOME PARTS OF THE PHILIPPINE COUNTRY STATEMENT DELIVERED DURING THE UNITED NATIONS WATER CONFERENCE IN MARCH:

ATTAINING UNIVERSAL, ADEQUATE, AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO SAFELY MANAGED WATER AND SANITATION SERVICES ARE AT THE CORE OF INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT APPROACHES THAT OVERCOME BARRIERS TO WATER AND SANITATION ACCESS (SDG 6) AND IMPROVED HEALTH (SDG 3) ARE, THEREFORE, IMPERATIVE. MOREOVER, RISK-INFORMED AND TRANSFORMATIVE GOVERNANCE, ESPECIALLY AT THE LOCAL, THAT INCREASES ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY OF SAFE DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION SERVICES MUST BE SUSTAINED IN ORDER TO ADVANCE HEALTH, LIVELIHOODS, AND THE DIGNITY OF ALL, WHILE PRESERVING ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF GENERATIONS TO COME.

DURING THIS CONFERENCE, WE COMMITTED TO A GLOBAL WATER SECTOR RESILIENCE AGENDA THAT ENSURES RELIABLE AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO SAFE WATER, SANITATION, IMPROVED HEALTH, AND GENDER EQUALITY. THIS REQUIRES THAT WE ADDRESS NOT ONLY THE PHYSICAL RISKS THROUGH ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS BUT THE ECOLOGICAL, SOCIOECONOMIC, AND GOVERNANCE CHALLENGE WE FACE, AS WELL.

THE FAILURE TO PROVIDE WATER SECURITY IS THE FAILURE TO PROVIDE FOOD, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN SECURITY FOR ALL. YOUR ROLE IN THIS MISSION CANNOT BE MINIMIZED.

THE WATER SECTOR, PARTICULARLY YOURSELVES AS THE PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF WATER DISTRICTS, HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD CHANGE AND DELIVER TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES’ QUEST FOR CLIMATE-RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. THE DENR LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU TO ENSURE THAT NO PERSON, NO COMMUNITY, AND NO ECOSYSTEM IS LEFT BEHIND.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND MABUHAY.