Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) —- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday signed an executive order creating the water management office under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), coming on the heels of concerns that supply will be threatened with the looming El Niño in the coming months.
Executive Order 22 takes effect immediately.
According to the executive order, the Water Resources Management Office will be responsible for “the integration and harmonization of all government efforts and regulatory activities to ensure availability and sustainable management of water resources in the whole country.”
The president will appoint the undersecretary who will lead the office.
In line with the executive order, all water-related agencies will be attached to the DENR, namely, the National Water Resources Board; Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewage System; Local Water Utilities Administration and the network of local water districts; and the Laguna Lake Development Authority.
“To avert a water crisis, minimize and avoid conflicts, and consistent with the state’s sole ownership and control over the country’s water resources, it is imperative for the Government to integrate and harmonize the policies, programs, and projects of all relevant agencies in the water resource sector in the fulfillment of their complementary governmental mandates,” the executive order read.
Last year, Marcos pushed for the establishment of an agency to manage water resources.
Weather bureau PAGASA said El Niño will impact a number of areas in the next two to three months, mainly in the Visayas and Mindanao.
