THE Senate is slated to act shortly on the proposed amendments to the charter (P.D. No. 198) of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and the various water districts nationwide with no less than Senator Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. assuring officials of the water agency that the matter will be given priority attention by his office.

Magsaysay himself filed recently a parallel measure, Senate Bill No. 2468, which among others seeks to increase LWUA's capitalization from P2.5 billion to P50 billion and its foreign debt cap from US$ 500 million to US$ 2 billion.

The senator explained the increase in capitalization and in its foreign borrowing authority will enable the water agency to avert water supply shortage in the rapidly increasing population of fast urbanizing towns and cities outside Metro Manila. The Magsaysay billis the third measure in the Senate - all seeking to improve the financial capability of LWUA. The first two, Senate Bill Nos. 443 and 2165, were earlier filed by Senators Sergio Osmeña and Juan Ponce Enrile.

In a related development, the Committee on Public Works and Highways of the House of Representatives chaired by Pangasinan 3rd District Rep. Generoso Tulagan has winded up its public hearings on the counterpart bill containing the proposed changes to the LWUA-water district charter. The committee report on House Bill No. 4950, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Eric D. Singson is expected to be ready in two weeks time and will be promptly calendared for second reading.

The bill filed by Sen. Magsaysay also seeks to rename LWUA into the Philippine Water Utilities and Resources Development Authority (PWURDA) and have the agency permanently attached to the Office of the President. The measure was referred to the Senate Committee on Public Works and Highways, headed by Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr. and two other committees.

Sen. Magsaysay told LWUA Acting Chairman & Administrator Lorenzo H. Jamora, during a recent courtesy call at the former's Senate office, that he recognizes the urgency of amending P. D. 198, not only for purpose of increasing its capitalization but also the need to reform the entire provincial water supply structure. The senator told Jamora that he will personally coordinate with Sen. Revilla for the immediate holding of public hearings.

For his part, Jamora said that the concern of Senator Magsaysay to have all barangays be provided with adequate, safe and potable water supply could not be discounted as shown by his personal efforts of using a good portion of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for barangay water supply development even in far-flung areas of Mindanao. His father, the late President Ramon Magsaysay started in the 1950s the artesian wells for every barangay to save the rural folks from drinking contaminated water.

Jamora again reiterated his call for Congress to include the proposed amendments to P. D. No. 198 in order for the water agency to respond to the growing need to establish water districts in waterless towns and to modernize existing facilities of water districts. He said the task of providing safe and potable water in every barangay is a formidable task but with the support of Congress, the job will be attainable.
c September 26 , 2006