President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told several government units to have a new water filtration technology that provides clean and potable water to communities, especially for flood-prone areas in the country.

Emphasizing the simplicity and effectiveness of the technology, Marcos Jr. explained during a situation briefing in Agusan del Sur on Friday that the system only requires a filter to be inserted into a bucket, which can then purify various water sources.

"The technology they provide is just the filter itself. You'll have to provide the bucket, poke holes in it, then you put this inside, any kind of water," Marcos Jr. told the government officials in the situation briefing.

He further elaborated on a demonstration where water from a canal or estero was purified using the system, affirming its safety for consumption after filtration.

According to the Chief Executive, each bucket equipped with the filtration system can process enough water for 100 people daily.

He expressed his support for acquiring and distributing these filtration systems to communities in need, emphasizing their potential to provide a reliable source of clean water.

"So, maybe we should get that. Let's just distribute it. We should start to acquire that," President Marcos suggested, highlighting the system's ability to remove impurities while allowing only water to pass through a thin membrane, similar to those used in dialysis machines.

President Marcos urged for the adoption of this technology, particularly in communities facing water scarcity or contamination issues. He emphasized the importance of ensuring access to clean and drinkable water, especially when relocating communities to new areas.

"Maybe, if you're going to move your communities somewhere, that's what we should do first, so that they have at least a source of fresh water that is drinkable, potable," Marcos Jr. remarked, underlining the urgency of addressing water quality concerns in vulnerable communities.

He said that the affected areas can receive water purifying machines from the national government thanks to the work of the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, who was also in the situation briefing, said there are remaining 15 units of water purification machines that can be lent to Caraga as some of its units are currently deployed in the Davao region.

“Most of (the water purification machines) are in Davao right now. But I called this morning, there are still some left in Metro Manila. It's possible to send even 15 machines. One machine can provide 185 gallons per hour. So, we will send it tomorrow,” Abalos said.

In the same briefing, Marcos Jr. assured that the government will keep helping communities affected by the low-pressure area's trough in the Caraga region.

The Chief Executive also instructed local officials to work together with relevant government agencies to guarantee swift action in the areas facing issues.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa Jr. then told Marcos Jr. in the situation briefing that their quick-release funds have been disbursed to their regional office in Caraga.

“The regional office has already provided some of the medicines, some of them are for the wash, water and sanitation and hygiene. We provided already a bladde (tank) for water. And we also provided aqua tabs because we detected coliforms in the water source, so we are trying to avoid any outbreak in waterborne diseases,” Herbosa said.