IN the wake of threat and challenges facing the water sector, Environment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said addressing this problem needs synergy-based governance to achieve sustainable management of the country’s (water) resources.

According to Loyzaga, government can attain water security if it works effectively well with all other stakeholders.

“There is no substitute at this moment for coherence, convergence and synergy in water governance,” Loyzaga said.

The DENR chief was keynote speaker of the recent Financial Inclusion for Women, Water and Climate Resilience Forum organized by the Financial Executives of the Philippines or FINEX.

In her speech, she told the participants that with their able partnership, these things will never be impossible and that water security can be reached and achieved for the Philippines.

“While it is considered as most vulnerable to climate change, the water sector holds the potential to lead change and deliver transformative solutions in the country’s quest for climate resilient, inclusive and sustainable development,” Loyzaga stressed.

The DENR head pointed out that at present, there is critical need for nexus governance for climate and disaster resilience—one that pursues a strategic balance between supply, distribution and consumption of water for health, food, energy, human and environmental security.

“Building resilience through equity in the water sector requires us to address the ecological, political, socio-economic and engineering risks, as well as, perhaps quite important, the national and local capacity for science-informed governance,” she added.

Through the DENR, the government is embarking on synergistic approaches to solving the country’s water woes: an attempt to the effective management of water resources and the application of geospatial data.

The first synergistic approach was highlighted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. establishing the Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) in the DENR through an executive order he issued recently.

This far, the newly created WRMO integrates the functions of all agencies with water-related mandates to effectively manage the country’s water resources and to achieve water security.

Loyzaga said the apex body will strengthen the coordination among various agencies and provide the venue for coherent policy formulation and rationalized functions to address cross-sectoral needs.

She said the implementation of the presidential directive is aligned with efforts to eventually establish a Department of Water.