"Tubig! Tubig! Ano ang Plano?" A forum on water scarcity in the Philippines

On Thursday, 12 May 2022, the Department of Environmental Science hosted an SC Johnson Forum, “Tubig! Tubig! Ano ang Plano?” to kickstart the department’s 30th anniversary celebration.

The event, which was scheduled from 3 to 5 pm, was made possible with the support of SC Johnson & Son, Inc., and was co-organized by the Ateneo Research Institute of Science and Engineering (ARISE) as part of the SOSE Week celebration. The forum tackled water scarcity in the Philippines and possible solutions, and featured speakers and reactors from the government, academe, and the youth sector and was simultaneously live streamed on Facebook and YouTube.

The event was kicked off by Dr Raphael A Guerrero, Dean of the School of Science and Engineering (SOSE), and Ms Marissa de Ungria, Country Manager of SC Johnson Philippines, who spoke on the commitment of SC Johnson & Son, Inc. to the environment and sustainability.

The event’s speakers were Engr Roderick M Planta, OIC Undersecretary of the Investment Programming Group of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), and Dr Sevillo David, Jr, Executive Director of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB). Mr Planta discussed the Philippine Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan, while Dr David discussed the Philippine Water Security Roadmap (NWRB). This was followed by reactions from Dr Ma Louise Antonette De las Peñas, the Associate Dean for Research and Creative Work of the Ateneo de Manila University for the role of the academe, and Ms Erika Rose Alejar, Vice President for Administration of the Philippine Association of Environmental Science Students for the role of the youth.

The forum emphasized the importance of multi-sectoral approaches to address water scarcity and equity, touching on economic instruments and the importance of stakeholder engagement.

Interested parties may watch the recorded event on YouTube at the following link: http://go.ateneo.edu/YouTube-Tubig