MANILA – Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Monday said there is no need for the creation of a department dedicated to manage the country’s water needs as suggested by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.
Pernia told CNN Philippines last week that the government should have “instituted an apex body for water,” after some 1.2 million households in the east zone of Metro Manila, serviced by Ayala-led Manila Water, were affected by water supply shortage.
Pernia blamed the crisis for the fragmentation of agencies handling the country’s water needs.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, however, said relevant government agencies have been working on solving the problem and there’s no need to establish such a department.
“Eh iyong lang problema lang na iyon, nagawan kaagad nila ng paraan eh. Simpleng-simple lang ang problema. They created their own problem, and they provided the solution. It’s purely inefficiency, mismanagement,” Panelo said in a Palace press briefing.
(They were able to solve the problem, which was so simple. They created their own problem, and they provided the solution. It’s purely inefficiency, mismanagement.)
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) regulates Manila Water and Maynilad, which service the capital’s east and west zones, respectively. The National Water Resources Board, on the other hand, coordinates and regulates water-related activities in the entire country that has impact on the physical environment and the economy.
Manila Water president and CEO Ferdinand dela Cruz said Monday he was holding himself accountable for the water crisis that has affected tens of thousands and acknowledged the “anger” of affected customers.
Operations of the distributor in charge of the capital’s east zone will return to normal by the end of summer. The supply deficit will be halved by April and will be reduced further to 15 percent by May, said dela Cruz.
Manila Water attributed the water supply shortage to high consumer demand, saying the water it needed from Angat Dam, its main supply source, shot up to 1,740 million liters per day, higher than its 1,600 MLD allocation.
Maynilad gets 2,400 MLD from Angat Dam, which has a capacity of 4,000 MLD.
Manila Water’s failure to complete a treatment plant in Cardona, Rizal was also partly to blame for the water shortage, MWSS chief regulator Patrick Ty said. – with a report from Kristine Sabillo, SOURCE :ABS-CBN News
