By Brian Jules Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has called for the passing of the “Waste-to-Energy Bill” to address flooding woes in the country.
In the 6th Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) full meeting with House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Senate President Francis Escudero, and some Cabinet members in Malacañang on Wednesday, Marcos cited the need to revisit the proposed measure as it is an essential piece in the government’s flood control program.
The Chief Executive stressed that waste-to-energy projects have to be implemented at the local government level as these initiatives have reduced flooding by 40%.
“I think ‘waste-to-energy’ now has taken on a new role. It is no longer just for garbage, or waste disposal or waste management. It is also now very much part of the flood control effort,” the President said, as quoted by a Presidential Communications Office (PCO) news release.
The Waste-to-Energy Bill was approved on third reading by the House of Representatives; it is still pending for the second reading at the Senate.
Meanwhile, Marcos also pushed for the creation of a Department of Water Resources that would reorganize the entire water management process in the country, noting that water problems need to be addressed through a “comprehensive plan”.
“The mayor of a municipality will only think about what’s happening in their municipality. But water just doesn’t work that way,” the President explained.
“Hindi nangingilala ng boundary ang tubig, kung saan-saan. Basta kung saan ’yong puwedeng daanan, dumadaan doon,” he added.
The President said he prefers to give the flood control mitigation to the proposed water resources body, with the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) as one of its coordinating agencies.
“That’s why there has to be an overall plan. So, I really think that we have to include all of those agencies,” he said. —iro