LUBAO, Pampanga – “There is no need to create a Department of Water.”
Thus, said reelectionist Senator Cynthia A. Villar when asked to comment on the need to create a water department as proposed by her colleague Francis Tolentino in the Hugpong Ng Pagbabago (HNP) senatorial slate to address the impending water shortage in 2025.
Villar made the commentary as she faced reporters during a break in the HNP campaign sortie here on Friday.
“Ang belief ko hindi komo magkaka water problem tayo kailangan natin ng department of water kase when you create a department you create an overhead ( I believe that just because we will be facing a water problem, we need to create a department of water because when you create a department you create an overhead),” the senator said.
“Ayaw natin na yung pera ng gobyerno pupunta lang sa overhead. Gusto natin sa mga projects na makakatulong sa tao pupunta kase ang pagka alam ko ang Metro Manila is taken cared by MWSS, siya yung nag mamanage sa Maynilad at Manila Water na mayroon sila franchise sa whole of Metro Manila and then outside of Manila it is managed by LWUA lahat ng nag ooperate outside Manila is managed by LWUA except those run by the LGU (We don’t want that government money should only go to the overhead. What we want is for the money to go into projects that benefit the people because as far as I know, Metro manila is taken cared of by MWSS, that’s the agency that manages Maynilad and Manila Water which hold franchises for the whole Metro Manila and outside Manila is managed by LWUA…),” Villar explained.
“So ang nakikita ko, kailangan lang yung LWUA at MWSS ay pagbutihin ang trabaho nila (So, what I see is that LWUA and MWSS should improve on their jobs),” she said. “Kase minsan pag nag ke create tayo ng department ang nangyayare ang pera lahat nauubus to support a department wala namang nagpupunta sa mga tao (Because sometimes when we create a department what happens was all the money is used to support the department and nothing goes to the people),” she pointed out.
“Mas maganda pa, dalhin nalang yung pera sa project that will help the people (What is better is to put the money into projects that will help the people),” she added.
Meanwhile, Villar said she is happy with the endorsement of President Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte but in the end, it will be the people who will decide.
“Sana magustuhan nila ako (I hope they will like me),” she said.
