More than 112 billion cubic meters, or 70 percent of the country’s total water resources, are lost or wasted each year, due to leaks and illegal connections, among other reasons given in a study by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Read the rest of this entry »

The Philippine Association of Water District (PAWD) is opposing the proposed bills in the Senate and House of Representatives aiming to privatize the Water Districts in the country and the establishment of Water and Sanitation Regulatory Authority. According to PAWD national president Gilbert Camaligan, there is no reason to privatize the water districts as proposed by Sen. Edgardo Angara in his Senate Bill 2997 and House Bill No. 5497 of Rep. Romeo Federico S. Quimbo and Rep. Karlo A.B. Nograles. He added that the creation of Water Supply and Sanitation Companies, under the section 17 of Senate Bill 2997 which will allow the ownership of the properties of Water Service Providers, will not do any good to the public. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Two lawmakers are proposing to institute reforms in the water industry to address what they described as the “perplexed and fragmented approach” in water resource and industry management. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Over 15 million Filipinos still have no access to electricity, joining roughly 170 million more in the East Asia-Pacific region, according to a recent study by the World Bank and the Australian Agency for International Development. Read the rest of this entry »

Manila, Philippines – One year ago, during the last SONA, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) was singled out by President Aquino for all the wrong reasons. Board members at the time rewarded themselves with close to P5 million a year– as payment for unnecessarily numerous board meetings. Other agency officials had outrageous bonuses that totaled the equivalent of 30 months. It got so bad that payroll reached an obscene P211.5 million annually. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Government agencies have joined hands to ensure accessible clean drinking water for all. Read the rest of this entry »

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd on Tuesday announced that government was inching closer to fulfill the advocacies of the Millennium Development Goal Achievement Program (MDG F-1919) of providing potable water to every Filipino in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – More than 15 million households nationwide have no access to potable water while some 273 municipalities remain waterless, according to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the UN General Assembly declaring that access to safe water is a human right, thousands die each day because of water-related diseases, and many countries are not expected to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals on water. The ILO is working with governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations to identify priorities for investment infrastructure in order to create employment opportunities and bring safe water to communities. In advance of World Water Day on 22 March, ILO Online spoke with Carlos R. Carrión-Crespo, ILO Sectoral Specialist for Public Services and Utilities. Read the rest of this entry »

The congressional inquiry into the allegedly excessive and unfair water rates imposed by Metro Manila water service providers has prompted two administration lawmakers to seek the creation of an independent body that would protect consumers. Read the rest of this entry »