ADDRESSING GROUNDWATER, ILLEGAL DEEP WELL ISSUES

Mayor Benjamin Magalong, National Water Regulatory Board (NWRB) Executive Director Ricky Arzadon, and Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources Cordillera (DENR-CAR) Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno Jr. sign the Memorandum of Agreement for the city government’s involvement in the cooperative efforts to address groundwater issues including the proliferation of clandestine deep wells in the city.

The city may not have been granted its long-coveted deputization to regulate illegal deep wells. Still, its personnel are now made part of the Water Resources Utilization Section (WRUS) which implements specific provisions of Presidential Decree 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines.

He thanked Arzadon for making this possible after years of clamoring for the city to have a say on such issues. Photo by APR