Two House panels on Wednesday approved the proposal seeking the creation of the Department of Water Resources (DWR), which is a legislative priority mentioned by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his second State of the Nation Address.

The House Committees on Public Works and Highways and Government Reorganization approved the proposed National Water Act, which would create the DWR and the Water Regulatory Commission.

The bill unifies policy-making, planning and management for water and septage under a single department called DWR.

The DWR Secretary shall be given functions of a presidential adviser on all water-related issues.

The measure also unifies regulatory, rate-setting and licensing functions under the Water Regulatory Commission, a quasi-judicial body similar to the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, principal author of the measure, said the creation of the Department of Water Resources will help address urban flooding issues by providing a framework for stormwater and drainage services.

“The National Water Act will fulfill the mandate of Executive Order No. 22, which creates the Water Resource Management Office to shepherd the eventual creation of the Department of Water Resources,” Salceda said. “This is also in line with President Marcos’s mention of the Department of Water Resource Management as an urgent presidential priority in the State of the Nation Address.”

The measure likewise proposes the creation of the National Water Resource Allocation Board, which would serve as the approval body for using water resources, including dam construction.

The board shall be chaired by the DWR secretary, with a technical committee for smaller decisions, and a secretariat called the Resource Allocation Office attached to the DWR, for day-to-day functions.

Salceda said the measure creates a framework for stormwater management, which is the first in the country.

“There is no existing regulatory framework for stormwater and drainage management by the private sector in our laws. The Clean Water Act (RA 9275) merely mentions storm water in the context of sewage treatment standards. Nothing in our laws gives us a regulatory framework for stormwater management. This will change that,” Salceda said.

Salceda said the bill prioritizes surface water development, which will reduce groundwater use.

In his second SONA, Marcos said he has already coordinated with Congress to pass a measure to create the Department of Water Resource Management to be tasked to implement necessary policy and resource reforms concerning the management of all water resources including irrigation, sewage and sanitation. (PNA)