The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Board has approved a proposed Mindanao Water Supply Program that aims to provide water systems to waterless municipalities in Mindanao.
“There are a number of municipalities in Mindanao na wala pang tubig. Ang pinag-uusapan is magtutulungan kami. There was a list given by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) of municipalities na wala pang tubig or hindi pa maganda ang patubig sa kanilang lugar,” said Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno, chairperson of MinDA.
Assistant Secretary Romeo M. Montenegro, deputy executive director of MinDA, said on Thursday that the program which had been started early on by MinDA in 2019, is initially targeting specific waterless municipalities.
According to him, by category of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), waterless municipalities are defined as LGUs or municipalities where 50% of the population don’t have access to Level 3 water systems.
“Now if 50% of the population in a municipality that does not have that access, pasok siya doon sa category ng DILG,” he said in a press conference during the 18th MinDA Board Meeting.
Montenegro said in Mindanao there are about 422 municipalities wherein 213 belong to that category or waterless municipalities.
He said the program targets around 121 of these 213 municipalities for the next four to five years to be the focus of such intervention.
“There are three essential components: the first component is the infrastructure or building of the facilities; second is technical assistance to the LGUs so that they will have the capacity to force implement this project; and third, is the watershed. Because no matter how good our facilities are, if the source of water is not being addressed as well then this is not going to be sustainable,” Montenegro said.
According to Montenegro, the program is being eyed to be implemented between 2025 to 2028.
The projected cost of the program is around P3.9 billion.
In terms of funding sources, apart from the General Appropriation Act (GAA), the program will find a way to other innovative financing such as possible grants, Official development assistance (ODA) loans, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
Meanwhile, Magno said the MinDA board will discuss this matter again in coordination with DILG this month and will be circulated in the different LGUs throughout Mindanao.
“Then we can start identifying and implementing and going to the details of how we can provide sufficient or ample water supply to the municipalities. Maganda ang programa so minabuti natin na tulungan at palawakin pa yung coverage at tulungan na magkaroon sana ng pondo para matuloy ang programang ito,” he said.
