Bikolanos Prepare for 2011 World Water Day Celebration

Legazpi City (21 March 2011) —Various stakeholders in Bikol prepare for this year’s World Water Day Celebration to be held at the Bicol University Amphitheater on March 22, 2011, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

The Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) V leads the coordination and planning of the annual celebration in the regional level. Likewise, the regional offices of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) also took part in the mapping out of activities in the celebration. Said event will be participated by local government units, academe and media.

The Bicol Region will also partake in the centerpiece event of the celebration, the National Executive-Legislative Dialogue on Water with the President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. The NEDA-initiated activity will include a summary reading of policy recommendations on how to improve access of the poor to safe and clean drinking water. The activity will be held simultaneously at the SM Mall of Asia and in two satellite sites in Bicol University here in Region V, and SM Cagayan de Oro in Regions X, and will be streamed live on TV on ABS-CBN, and on select radio stations and internet sites.

Another activity lined-up for the celebration is the Postcard-Reading Session with P-Noy, which will include a face-to-face interview reading session with students in Manila and live remote broadcasts with students from Regions V and X. In said activity, selected stories or postcard messages will be read by the students to the President regarding issues on the accessibility of safe and clean drinking water. The activity aims to raise awareness on the situation of the 15.73 million Filipinos with no access to safe and clean drinking water, as well as draw the officials’ support in increasing the provision of clean and safe drinking water.

The annual celebration of the World Water Day aims to focus attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban systems. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge”, which purports to encourage all stakeholders in the regional and national levels to actively engage in addressing the challenges of urban water management. (FERNANDO P. QUILILAN)