AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee lauded the passage on third and final reading of House Bill No. 9663 creating the Department of Water, and on Sunday said that establishing a national framework for water resource management would boost efforts to attain food security in the country.
“Natutuwa po tayo na we are one step closer to our goal of having a dedicated department that would promote universal access to safe, adequate, affordable, and sustainable water,” said Lee, a principal author of the bill.
“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa mga kasamahan natin sa Kamara para sa agarang pagpasa ng panukalang batas na ito. Winner Tayo Lahat pag natutukan at naayos ang supply ng tubig sa ating bansa.”
The Bicolano lawmaker stressed the importance of having an effective and sustainable water resources management program that will allow the country to cope with the effects of climate change and ensure adequate water supplies to serve the needs of a developing and growing country like the Philippines, particularly in achieving food security.
“Ang United Nations (UN) na po ang nagsabi na ang tubig ay susi natin sa food security,” he said, noting that for this year’s World Food Day celebration, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) chose to highlight sustainable water management as key to the future of food.
“Isa po ang panukalang batas na ito sa isinusulong natin na long-term solution para tugunan ang nakababahalang epekto ng El Niño. Kailangan ng tubig ng mga pananim at alagang hayop upang maging masigla at lumaki nang maayos kaya po ang kaayusan ng sektor ng agrikultura ay nakasalalay sa sapat na supply ng tubig,” Lee pointed out.
“Bukod dito, syempre kailangan din po natin ng tubig upang makapaglinis at makapagluto ng pagkain,” added the legislator.
According to the UN, irrigation uses close to 70% of all freshwater appropriated for human use.
Meanwhile, the FAO estimates that meeting growing agricultural demand under climate change will require an additional 40 to 100 percent more water than would have been needed otherwise.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), for its part, says water scarcity affects not just the quantities, but also the quality, variety, and seasonal availability of foods that can be produced and consumed.
“At local and farm levels, water constraints can push producers to employ polluted water sources that may then compromise or contaminate food supplies,” the CSIS said.
