MANILA, Philippines – Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo sees no need for a “Department of Water,” a suggestion made by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

“I don’t think kailangan ‘yun (I don’t think it’s needed),” he said on Monday, March 18, during a Malacañang news briefing.

Panelo said the current setup is enough, appearing satisfied with Manila Water chief executive officer Ferdinand dela Cruz’s assurance that 80% of customers in the East Zone of Metro Manila now have their water supply restored. Dela Cruz said this during a House hearing on the water shortage happening while Panelo was holding his press conference.

“Eh ‘yung problema nga na ‘yun nagawan na nila ng paraan (They were able to find a way to address that problem). The created their own problem, they created their own solution. It’s purely inefficiency, mismanagement,” said Panelo.

Pernia, one of Duterte’s economic managers, had pushed for the creation of a “Department of Water” last Friday, March 15, during an interview with CNN Philippines.

He said such a department would “centralize” all efforts to ensure sufficient water supply for the country – including managing water resources and distributing water supply. Pernia thinks there are too many agencies dealing with water issues and that they at times conflict with each other. (READ: Manila Water’s supply crisis: What we know so far)

The idea of a single agency in charge of water issues has been floated before. Senator Ralph Recto, for instance, had filed a bill in 2016 creating a Water Regulatory Commission, an “independent, quasi-judicial body consolidating the economic regulatory powers of the various water agencies into one national body.” – Rappler.com