Elizar Sabinay of the Provincial Planning and Development Office announced that the Cebu Provincial Government is eyeing the reactivation of the Provincial Water Resource Authority to serve as a central policy-making body for water sourcing and distribution.
Sabinay stated that reactivating the PWRA instead of creating a separate Watershed Council avoids legislative redundancy, noting the existing body already possesses a comprehensive Water Code and implementing rules and regulations.
Sabinay noted that a functional PWRA is crucial to address fragmented water governance among various agencies, oversee bulk water distribution, and manage potential water sources like surface water dams costing more than P7 billion each.
THE Cebu Provincial Government is eyeing the reactivation of the Provincial Water Resource Authority (PWRA) to serve as the central policy-making body that will guide water sourcing and distribution across the province.
In an interview with SunStar Cebu, Elizar Sabinay of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) said the provincial government opted to reactivate the PWRA instead of creating a separate Watershed Council to avoid legislative redundancy.
“If we create a Watershed Council, it would be redundant. So, the goal now is just to reactivate the PWRA,” Sabinay said.
Sabinay said he had been attending provincial water management and planning meetings since 2018 or 2019 and was actively involved in drafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) and the Provincial Water Code.
“The Water Code is very comprehensive. Kapila to namo gi-revise (We revised it so many times). And the IRR is already there. So, you just reactivate it, just make it function. That’s it,” he said.
The PWRA was originally established during the administration of former governor Hilario Davide III, but its implementation was halted during the administration of then governor Gwendolyn Garcia.
Tasks
According to Sabinay, a functional PWRA is crucial because water governance in Cebu is currently fragmented among various national and local agencies, with no single local body overseeing residential, commercial, and wastewater management.
Once fully reactivated, the PWRA will oversee how Cebu identifies and develops potential water sources, whether groundwater or surface water, and manage bulk water distribution.
It will also oversee the operations of the Inter-LGU Waterworks System.
“Right now, katag ang atong water governance (our water governance is fragmented). There’s no specific body who we go to,” Sabinay said, noting that local government units (LGUs) without their own water districts continue to struggle and rely on the provincial government.
The move aligns with the current administration’s broader goal of preparing Cebu for the impacts of climate change by addressing critical infrastructure needs in water, energy, and waste management simultaneously.
To address the Province’s long-standing water supply shortage, Sabinay said the provincial government is lobbying the national government for funding for major infrastructure projects while also seeking private sector partnerships. Among the proposed projects are multi-billion-peso surface water dams identified in a 2015 Japan International Cooperation Agency study.
Sabinay said a single dam could cost more than P7 billion — more than half of the Province’s annual budget.
“We are not just putting our hopes in one basket, we are putting it in multiple baskets. Because that’s how the government should work,” Sabinay said. / CDF