Philippines: Arroyo’s ‘water for all’ program reaches 130,000 households in 188 towns

MANILA, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo�s thrust to provide every Filipino household with potable water has gained significant milestones with more than 130,000 households in 188 municipalities outside Metro Manila now enjoying adequate access to clean water.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in coordination with the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), reported to the President in today�s NAPC-Cabinet Group meeting in Malaca�ang that 43 percent of the 432 municipalities identified in the President�s inaugural address in 2004 have been covered by the President�s Priority Program on Water.

Also included in the President�s Priority Program on Water were 210 communities or sitios identified by the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage System (MWSS) as not connected to existing water concessionaires�the Manila Water and Maynilad.

The report said that in 2005, the DPWH managed to complete a total of 778 water facilities as against a target of 782 in the prioritized municipalities. Almost 99 percent of the P500-million funds were spent for these facilities.

Last year, 539 out of the targeted 595 facilities with a cost of roughly 91 percent of the allocated funding of P500 million were completed.

For the identified 210 sitios in Metro Manila, the MWSS, through its concessionaires, has covered more than 37,000 households in 55 communities and spent some P1.2 billion.

The DPWH said the MWSS targets to service 118,667 households in Metro Manila with an estimated budget of P2.87 billion.

The DPWH said that there is still much to be done as there are areas not included in the priority list waiting for government�s initiative, aside from the areas covered by peace agreements which are being undertaken by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

�The water supply program can be fully realized when we partner with the local government units (LGUs), with adequate and timely funding,� Ebdane said.

He said the program could be fully attained in the next three years but a total of P3.75 billion or P1.25 billion a year is needed.

The President�s 10-point agenda include the provision of clean and potable water to some 42,000 barangays all over the country.

The project, dubbed as �Patubig ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo� became operational in December 2003, but was officially included in the President�s 10-point pro-poor agenda in 2004.