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Josiah Antonio - The Philippine Star
March 21, 2026 | 12:00am
Residents of several barangays in Tondo, Manila line up for free water rations from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on June 8, 2025.
The Philippine STAR / Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — Around 40 million of the country’s 115 million population lack access to reliable water supply, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
DENR Undersecretary for Integrated Environmental Science Carlos Primo David said at a press conference ahead of World Water Day on March 22 that the supply or source of water of millions can be compromised by climate change or pollution.
“This is a huge percentage. We want to build them a resilient system wherein they have continuous access to water,” he said yesterday.
DENR chief Juan Miguel Cuna admitted that the country is facing a crisis of potable water access.
“The Philippines is facing a challenge of water bankruptcy, where national consumption is based on nature’s ability to replenish. We are meeting this challenge with science, and they have a clear tactical roadmap,” he said.
In a step to address this, Cuna said a P485-million investment in water regulation is set to benefit over 440,000 people by the end of 2026.
“From installing the desalination and filtration systems across 59 barangays to developing climate resilient infiltration galleries that tap into subsurface river flows, we are engineering a future where no community is left behind,” Cuna said.
“By using georesistivity, surveys and geospatial data, we are ensuring that our interventions are precise, cost effective and sustainable for the long term,” he added.
David said the lack of funding limits the government’s ability to address the concern.
“I won’t lie to you, it’s funding. The fiscal space of the government in the past few years has been narrow, you can only ask for a small amount from the Department of Budget and Management,” David said.
“So I constantly go around and present a lot of these types of projects to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, to DBM for them to realize that the project is worth it,” he added.
He said that investments in water systems are not enough, especially for long-term solutions.
“Essentially, what we are doing is investing P1,000 per person, and that P1,000 goes a long way and almost forever, we will have access to water,” David said, noting an estimated P200 billion is needed to address the water scarcity issues of the country.
