THE challenge of securing a steady, clean water supply for Cebu’s rapidly growing population is not about scarcity alone; it’s about fragmentation. Recent calls from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 7 urging local government units (LGUs) to adopt a single, science-based water security assessment tool highlight a fundamental tension: How can the province solve its interconnected problems — from flooding to daily water scarcity — when interventions are siloed and stop at political boundaries?
The push for a unified, data-driven approach, anchored by a new assessment model, reveals that Cebu’s current reliance on localized, short-term fixes may be creating as many problems as they solve, putting the region’s long-term sustainability and disaster resilience at risk.
Quick recap of the event
On Thursday, Nov. 25, 2025, DOST 7 Director Tristan Abando urged over 20 LGUs, water districts and universities gathered at the Water Secure PH Forum to adopt the Water Security Assessment Tool (WatSat). Developed by the Asian Institute of Technology, WatSat evaluates an LGU’s status across five dimensions — water availability, access, infrastructure, management and governance — to produce a crucial water security index. Abando stressed the need to move beyond “falling in love with the solutions” and first deeply understand the problems through granular, integrated data.
Big picture context:
The watershed problem
Cebu’s water and flood issues are intertwined, yet they are typically addressed separately. Abando noted that the current approach focuses heavily on downstream drainage upgrades without correcting upstream issues like the absence of catchment basins and poor river management.
Since water systems and watersheds “do not follow political boundaries,” fragmented planning among different LGUs leads to gaps. An upgrade in one city, for instance, may simply push the flood problem onto its neighbor. The WatSat tool is being promoted as the necessary coordinate system to help LGUs overcome this fragmentation and begin integrated watershed management. This push aligns with the DOST’s larger Smart and Sustainable Communities Program, which aims to augment local water security measures with technology and infrastructure tailored to specific local needs.
Why it matters: Water insecurity hits the most vulnerable
The shift to a granular, science-based assessment is not a bureaucratic exercise; it directly impacts the daily lives of citizens, particularly those in vulnerable communities. Mandaue City’s experience applying the WatSat framework provides a stark illustration of the stakes.
A 2025 study on Mandaue, led by Dr. Evelyn Taboada and funded by the Spanish International Cooperation Agency, revealed the city is water-insecure across multiple dimensions:
Scarcity and Distribution: Coastal and informal settlements face daily water scarcity, while highland areas have more reliable supplies, highlighting an inequitable distribution along pipelines.
Environmental Threat: The city’s groundwater is threatened by saltwater intrusion, with the phenomenon extending up to five kilometers from the coast.
Without coordinated, targeted interventions guided by data, the most vulnerable communities will continue to bear the brunt of water scarcity and the impacts of flooding.
Voices & perspectives:
Data vs. ownership
The successful implementation of WatSat requires both political will and community engagement.
Dr. Taboada emphasized that the Mandaue City Government has already welcomed the study, with key offices — the City Planning and Development Office, Environmental Management Office and Office of Strategic Management — involved in planning follow-up interventions. This demonstrates a willingness among some LGUs to be guided by data.
However, Director Abando introduced a crucial counterpoint regarding technology adoption: “Ownership increases adoption.” He cautioned that highly technical systems often fail if the communities they serve cannot maintain them. He also noted that for community-level solutions, like the “Saura ang Uwan” rainwater harvesting competition in Lapu-Lapu City, proper education is essential, as “One solution can create another problem if mishandled” (e.g., dengue concerns associated with water storage). This perspective underscores the need to blend technical solutions with community co-creation and education.
What happened in Mandaue City
The Mandaue WatSat study, which added two context-specific indicators to the original five dimensions, found that specific, data-guided interventions are required to address its severe water insecurity. Based on the findings, the planned interventions include:
Prioritizing coastal and informal settlements for water access.
Regulating pipeline pressure to ensure equitable distribution across all barangays.
Implementing rainwater injection into aquifers to actively counteract saltwater intrusion.
Treating seawater, stormwater, and floodwater for sustainable reuse.
Why integrated management is important
The Philippines currently has a national water security index of 58, which is only considered “capable.” The national goal is to reach over 70 points by 2028. This performance gap is magnified by the current governance structure. Abando highlighted a major risk: the absence of a national coordinating body for water governance.
Existing programs remain LGU-dependent, making them vulnerable to the three-year political cycles of local administrations and leading to fragmented implementation across jurisdictions. An integrated tool like WatSat provides a common language and metric that can survive changes in local leadership, ensuring continuity.
How it connects to technology and innovation
The DOST is actively promoting and deploying technologies designed to complement the WatSat approach:
Integrated Stormwater Management (ISWM) systems to collect and treat rainwater, storm water and wastewater for reuse.
The SafeWaters membrane filtration system, a DOST-developed technology capable of producing potable water from streams or canals, has proven particularly useful in post-disaster scenarios. A unit is set to be deployed to the northern town of Medellin, Cebu, in December.
The challenge now is “mass production,” with the DOST working to accredit local fabricators to manufacture SafeWaters units as a “public good” free from royalty fees, accelerating the deployment of these solutions.
Forward-looking ending
The immediate future hinges on two critical areas: the adoption rate of the WatSat tool across Cebu LGUs and the potential for a fundamental shift in national governance. Abando suggested that proposals for a Department of Water could gain traction as the problem of fragmented governance becomes more acute.
The DOST's objective is to make water security data publicly accessible, similar to its GEO-RISK PH disaster platform. This public data will serve as a continuous monitoring and verification mechanism, ensuring interventions — both technological and infrastructure-based — promote equitable access and sustainable management for future generations. Watch for how many LGUs formally adopt the WatSat framework and how this data begins to reshape local infrastructure planning. / EHP