Senator Loren Legarda urged stronger enforcement of environmental and water laws, stressing that women’s leadership and grassroots innovation are central to securing water, climate resilience, and inclusive development.

Speaking at the Water and Women Forum PH 2026 held on March 23 in Quezon City, in celebration of World Water Day and National Women’s Month, Legarda emphasized that water security, solid waste management, and gender equality are deeply interconnected.

“Water shapes the rhythm of every home, every community, every future. But when water is scarce, when it is unsafe or distant, the burden does not fall evenly,” Legarda said.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Legarda noted that only 53.1 percent of Filipino families have access to safely managed drinking water, while 44 percent still depend on sources outside their homes.

“In four out of five cases, it is women and girls who carry this responsibility. We all know this, especially in the provinces, but even in Metro Manila, waking up very early, walking long distances, and even not long, but in a long queue, carrying heavy containers, making difficult choices on how to stretch every drop for cooking, cleaning, and hygiene. And time spent securing water is time taken away from education, from livelihood and jobs, recreation even, and rest,” Legarda said.

Legarda also drew attention to the lack of women’s representation in water-related institutions.

“Women have little influence in designing the systems that govern it,” Legarda said. “They remain underrepresented in the institutions where water policies are shaped, and resources are allocated.”

As principal author of the Climate Change Act of 2009 and author of the Clean Water Act, Legarda reaffirmed her commitment to advancing policies that protect the health, livelihoods, and dignity of Filipino families.

“They’re meant to protect the health, the livelihood, the dignity of Filipino families, especially those who carry the daily responsibility of securing water at home. The same principle behind these laws must guide water governance today,” Legarda said.

She also stressed the connection between waste and water.

“Solid waste has everything to do with water,” Legarda said, citing the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. “It institutionalizes the segregation of waste at source, recycling, and composting. If this is followed, our waste need not go to our water bodies and the tragedies of Cebu and Rizal would not, should not, could not have happened.”

Legarda lamented the weak enforcement of laws. “It seems like laws are just recommendations or suggestions. Hindi sinusunod e. Matigas ang ulo nating lahat,” Legarda said.

She further called attention to the Rainwater Collection Act and the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System Act (PENCAS), noting their relevance to water governance and sustainability.

Across the Philippines, Legarda acknowledged the leadership of grassroots and indigenous women.

“They are the primary managers of household water. They know how it is stored, how it is used, conserved, and shared. And in many local communities, our indigenous women have protected our watersheds, our rivers, our springs for generations,” Legarda said.

Legarda concluded with a call for stronger representation of women in decision-making bodies and stricter implementation of existing laws.

“By placing women at the center of water governance, we move closer to a future where every community has safe, reliable, and sustainable access to water, and where development is inclusive,” Legarda stressed.

The Water and Women Forum PH 2026 was organized by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the River Basin Control Office (RBCO), and other government agencies, alongside private sector and civil society partners.