The water supply in key cities of Eastern Visayas—Tacloban, Ormoc, Catbalogan, among others—has become unreliable, inadequate, and, in some areas, practically nonexistent. This persistent failure is unacceptable, and the burden now falls heavily on the concerned local government units to take decisive and corrective action.
There is no excuse for urban centers to suffer recurring water shortages in this day and age. The absence of clean, accessible water in homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses speaks of gross negligence and a failure to prioritize basic needs. Whether the problem stems from aging infrastructure, mismanagement, or the controversial issue of privatization, the fact remains: access to water is a fundamental right, not a commodity that can be left to the mercy of inefficient suppliers or profit-driven ventures.
Privatization, for instance, was meant to improve efficiency and service quality, but in many cases, it has only led to limited access, delayed responses to complaints, and rising costs for the public. Private operators often lack long-term planning and investment in sustainable water sources, opting instead to maximize profits while passing off system failures to consumers. Local governments cannot continue washing their hands of accountability by pointing fingers at their private partners. If contracts were signed that compromise public welfare, then those contracts must be reviewed or rescinded.
On the other hand, government-run utilities are not off the hook either. Some water districts remain under local or national control and still perform poorly. In many cases, they suffer from bureaucratic inefficiencies, technical incompetence, and weak leadership. Even with the availability of national funding and assistance from donor agencies, implementation of water projects is slow and riddled with issues. Worse, corruption in procurement and project execution undermines what little progress is made. Clean water cannot flow from dirty governance.
Local officials must treat this as an emergency. Short-term fixes like rationing or deploying water tanks are not enough. Permanent solutions demand comprehensive planning, infrastructure upgrades, strict enforcement of performance standards, and, above all, political will. If existing utilities—whether public or private—cannot deliver, then LGUs must either overhaul these systems or establish new ones. People need water, not excuses.
