Water

Water Champion: Ramon B. Alikpala
Striving for a Stronger and More Cohesive Water Sector
June 2005

By Ma. Christina Dueñas
Water Knowledge and Communications Coordinator, ADB

Ramon B. Alikpala is the Executive Director of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) of the Philippines. He joined the NWRB in 2003 fresh from his stint as head of the Financial Regulation Group of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). In addition to the regular responsibilities of the NWRB, Mr. Alikpala's move was also inspired by the challenge presented by the then new Philippine Executive Order 123, which transferred the regulation of more than 500 water districts to NWRB. National Water Resources Board The NWRB is recognized as the Philippines' water sector apex body. It was created as the government coordinating and regulating agency for all water resources management and development activities. The development and management of water and related resources of the Philippines is the concern of some 32 government agencies as well as the private sector. Each of these agencies handles specific areas, i.e. water supply, irrigation, hydropower, flood control and more. As these entities implement programs exclusively within their own sectoral field of responsibility, fragmentation and conflicts of interest in the utilization of water became more and more apparent. Under this institutional setting, the need for an authoritative organization that will coordinate and integrate all activities in water resources development and management can no longer be denied. Thus, the National Water Resources Council was created in 1974 and later reorganized in 1987 to become the NWRB. NWRB's principal objective is to achieve a scientific and orderly development and management of the country's water resources consistent with the principles of optimum utilization, conservation and protection to meet present and future water needs. NWRB's Board members initially included representatives from agencies that are claimant to water resources, resulting in conflicts of interest. In 2002, this situation was rectified with the reconstitution of the Board's membership, which now excludes those with direct claims on water resources. Improving the country's water resources management calls for the strengthening of NWRB. This means giving the NWRB improved capacity and resources to carry out its mandate and reforms effectively. Despite these constraints, NWRB has attained considerable success in water resource regulation, economic regulation, and coordination of water resources projects and policies. It serves as an inspiration for all water sector apex bodies in Asia.

What are national water apex bodies and what should be their mandate?

National water apex bodies are generally policy making and coordinating bodies. But their mandate should not be limited to these. I think it is equally important that they define specific and time-bound targets in water resources management, and ensure that these targets are enforced and attained.

To gauge whether an apex body has indeed attained its mandate, we must see if its policies are translated into action at all levels.

What would be the ideal structure of an apex body?

Because water issues cut across a number of departments/ministries, the apex body should have representations from the highest levels of government. It should be multi-sectoral in nature.

Does NWRB have the institutional standing to implement its mandate?

The NWRB is recognized by the water sector as the apex body for water. It is also recognized as the authority in water resources management.

Its authority is derived from Presidential Decree No. 424, which provides for the National Water Resources Council Charter, and Presidential Decree 1067, otherwise known as the Water Code of the Philippines.

Despite the authority, however, a severe lack of financial and manpower resources have made it difficult for NWRB to fulfill its entire mandate. NWRB likewise lacks expertise in crucial areas—water for agriculture, water supply and sanitation and demand management.

NWRB is the only apex body in the region that performs both resource and economic regulation. Is this a good structure to follow?

No, it is not the best structure to follow. An apex body requires the participation of the entire water sector, particularly water users, to facilitate the implementation and coordination of policies. Regulation requires independence from users or implementers for it to be effective. Herein lays the conflict.

How can the setup be improved then?

While regulatory bodies should be included in policy formulation, it would be to the advantage of the policy formulating body if it could include water users as well - the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Public Works and Highways, etc.

What are NWRB's main challenges?

In a nutshell, NWRB needs to do more work in the following areas: decentralizing NWRB by developing regional councils, reorganizing NWRB to make it more responsive, implementing new economic regulatory policies, creating stronger awareness for integrated water resources management, implementing raw water pricing, and updating the Philippine Water Code to include the lessons learned from the past 30 years.

What reforms has NWRB introduced to deal with the major challenges?

The most innovative and controversial reform we are currently proposing is the adoption of Raw Water Pricing. Raw Water Pricing helps address several concerns in the water sector—increasing water use efficiency, the protection of this valuable resource, lack of revenues to implement critical infrastructure requirement.

As we envision it, Raw Water Pricing should take into account several factors:

• It should be sensitive to the needs of the poor
• It should be sensitive to the issues in the agricultural sector, particularly to the concerns of small farmers
• It should address the concerns of areas where water is critical
• It requires intensive public consultations, information and education campaigns
• It should have a transparent process

We are looking to initially implement raw water pricing in areas already experiencing water stress like Metro Manila and other cities. This could start as early as late 2005 or early 2006. More extensive studies are being undertaken to determine the social and economic impact of raw water pricing for the agriculture sector. Since there is a lack of infrastructure to measure the water utilized by farming communities, any implementation for this sector may take a few more years.

NWRB is viewed as among the more successful apex bodies in the region. To what factors can you attribute this success?

As you know, NWRB is not exempt from problems and challenges. But whatever achievements we have achieved in the past, we can attribute to a well written Water Code that has stood the test of time, regular meetings and active participation of the members of the apex body, and strong support from other government agencies in the sector.

Since assuming the position of NWRB Executive Director, what do you think have been your major contributions?

I think my major contributions have been in redefining the role of NWRB in the water sector, in making the public more aware of the importance of NWRB, and in implementing stronger economic regulatory mechanisms.

But these achievements were offshoots of other developments in the water sector. President Arroyo's inclusion of water supply in her 10-point agenda has galvanized the water supply and sanitation sector to meet connection targets by 2010. A National Water Forum held in 2004 brought the entire water sector together to discuss issues and define ways of moving forward in the sector. International development organizations have also provided continuous support to the water sector.

What key messages can you highlight from your work in apex bodies?

First, an apex body should not just limit itself to policy formulation and coordination. Defining specific, time-bound targets and monitoring its enforcement are just as equally important.

Secondly, because water transcends almost all sectors of society and government, an apex body should have the support of the highest levels of the government and other sectors.

Finally, water management gives rise to a variety of sensitive social, political and economic issues. Awareness campaigns, including public consultations, should go hand in hand with implementation of policies.

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