Photo credit: Senate PH

Senator Pia S. Cayetano called for sustainable water systems for all Filipinos during the second public hearing of the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking.

The hearing covered several bills, including the Water Sustainability Act, promoted by Cayetano, the Safe Drinking Water Act, filed by Senate Majority Floor Leader Sen. Joel Villanueva, and the act to promote rural health by providing a potable water supply system in every barangay, filed by Senate President Miguel Zubiri.

Cayetano emphasized the overlapping effects of not having a sustainable water supply on poverty, health, sustainable cities and communities, and people's ability to live well. She discussed the observations made by Fr. Pedro Montallana of the Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance, who highlighted the challenges of changing the laundry practices of Filipinos and the difficulties of communicating sustainable product development to users. Cayetano also discussed the concerns raised by Atty. Homer Vicente Revil, the administrator of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), about the cost of water and the need to ensure affordability for farmers and those living in the provinces.

Cayetano asked for a clarification from Father Montallana regarding the impact of building more dams on indigenous people who take care of forests and water resources, but would be displaced by the dams. She also tied up the discussion with sustainable forest management, which is a separate bill.

In her closing remarks, Cayetano acknowledged that it would take time to achieve universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all Filipinos, even with the billions of pesos that LWUA can dispose of. She called for a way to shorten the time needed for more people to have access to clean water and emphasized the importance of sustainable water systems.