The Department of Environment and Natural Resources revealed that water costs for the most isolated barangays in the country have been cut by more than 50 percent through its Water Resources Management Office.

In its report, it stated that local water districts in Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Leyte, Negros Oriental and Cagayan were provided with high-grade refilling equipment, establishing a fixed P15 rate for five-gallon bottles.

Communities in Romblon, Sorsogon, Occidental Mindora, Bohol, and Zamboanga, on the other hand, have gained access to clean water for just P20 to P25 from paying around P50 to P75 through the agency’s Water Filtration Program.

Newly-appointed DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said that the initiatives were part of the ‘marching orders’ of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to improve its water processing and monitoring efforts.

“The creation of the WRMO under the President’s mandate has allowed us to move from being mere regulators to being systems-builders,” said Cuna.

The WRMO was formed on 27 April 2023 under Executive Order No. 22 of the current administration as a means to harmonize water conservation initiatives of the government with a means to establish sustainable water sources.

One of the projects completed under the office was the Infiltration Gallery Project that was aimed at developing an alternative source of water. The project was said to benefit approximately 79,420 individuals through filtering subsurface river flows within the area.

The office is also said to be funded with P256.9 million in 2026 as it plans to establish 13 additional water districts, 11 spring water systems, and deployment of high-performance filtration systems to 59 barangays.

Upon the completion of the projected services, the WRMO said that it will provide services to 440,904 beneficiaries by the end of the year.