Local government units and local water districts (LWDs) were urged to collaborate more productively for more effective utilization of LGU budgets, especially after these budgets were expected to increase when the Supreme Court's favorable ruling on the Mandanas-Garcia petition takes effect in 2022.
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The SC decision on the Mandanas-Garcia petition would increased LGUs' share of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) by as much as 27.61%, and, according to Santa Maria (Bulacan) Water District General Manager Carlos Santos Jr. who spoke at a recent Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) webinar, this would be beneficial to LWDs "as this would be a source of ‘free’ funds.”
As things stood, water districts were finding it difficult to fund projects on water source development, expansion and improvement of water supply facilities, investment requirements for sanitation projects, and other improvement programs.
“Funding for these programs is not easy to acquire and takes time as well. Local water districts can no longer rely solely on their annual revenues for operations to support these capital-intensive activities,” Santos explained.
The added funding and effective collaboration with LGUs would thus help water districts maintain safe and potable water supplies.
Aside from funding issues, Santos also underscored the need to "expand the water supply distribution system to provide enough water supply to the population." — DVM, GMA News
LGUs, water districts urged to collaborate with more funds expected by 2022
