[Representatives from various Region 10 municipalities participate in the seminar-workshop on good water governance as part of the “Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig para sa Lahat" Program.]
By Alain Roy Romero
The Governance and Leadership Institute (GLI) of Xavier University and the Department of the Interior and Local Government - Region 10 (DILG-10) led a seminar-workshop on the operation and maintenance for local government unit-managed water supply system as part of the “Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig para sa Lahat" (Salintubig) Program.
The Salintubig Program is one of the government’s major actions in addressing the plight of Filipino households whom do not have access to clean water supply. The program aims to contribute to the attainment of the goal of providing potable water to the entire country and the targets defined in the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Philippine Water Supply Sector Roadmap and the Philippine Sustainable Sanitation Roadmap.
The 4-day seminar-workshop, held on September 22-25, 2015 at Hotel Koresco, Cagayan de Oro City, was participated in by representatives from various Region 10 municipalities having an existing water supply system identified by DILG 10. The identified municipalities were Boston, Sarangani, Calamba, Don Carlos, Nunungan, Salvador, Pantao Ragat, Tagoloan and Matungao.
Engr Marisia Naybe, DILG-10’s project development and management unit chief, graced the event and shared on the operation and maintenance (O&M). She shared that O&M only means repairing leaks, replacing pipes and doing corrective maintenance, among others; while there are vital functions, they only address the effects of problems, not the underlying causes.
“If O&M is integrated into all water and sanitation decisions, it can overcome the causes of the massive water losses, instead of being limited to treating the effects,” Naybe said.
GLI director Dr Dixon Yasay discussed the local water and sanitation governance. He emphasized the importance of understanding the governance structure of LGUs as policymakers and regulators in terms of local water governance.
“Proper consideration of how O&M is to be financed and managed will avoid the cycle of poor services, dissatisfaction, poor payment and system deterioration. O&M is the key to sustaining water supply and sanitation development,” Yasay added.
The participants were able to visit the municipality of Claveria, Misamis Oriental, one of the local governments recognized by DILG 10 to have a working water system and a timely-paying pool of customers. The field visit enabled the participants to see and learn firsthand in terms of handling a water system.
By giving a perspective that water is a basic human right, non-negotiable and must be given to the people without any delay, the LGUs may move accordingly in their localities such as addressing immediate water system problems. GLI aims to capacitate local leaders toward a "people-centered" water governance, attained by the local government and its partners in the region.