ILOILO City is often lauded as one of the country’s most livable cities. But beneath the facade of progress lies a simmering public health crisis — one that flows, or rather trickles, through its broken water infrastructure.
As reported by this paper yesterday, only 27% of households in the city are connected to a potable water system, and just a fraction of them enjoy uninterrupted supply. For the rest, daily survival depends on water refilling stations and shallow wells — many of which, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas, are alarmingly close to septic tanks. This grim reality turns what should be a basic human right into a public health hazard.
The consequences are already evident. Past outbreaks of Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) in the city have been linked to unsafe water sources. AGE is a preventable yet dangerous condition that can be life-threatening, particularly for children and the elderly. That such diseases continue to plague Iloilo is a clear indicator of persistent structural neglect, not just a temporary lapse in sanitation.
Mayor Treñas’ statement during the “Water Dialogue 2025” was blunt but accurate: “We need water not tomorrow. We need water yesterday.” His urgency is warranted. The problem is not merely the inconvenience of dry faucets — it is about compromised public health, and in worst-case scenarios, the risk of waterborne epidemics.
Moreover, the city’s growing reliance on water vending stations raises other concerns. How many of these are regularly tested for safety? How many operate without strict oversight? When entire communities are forced to depend on them for drinking and cooking, it is only a matter of time before contamination finds its way into homes.
This is not a problem Iloilo can tackle alone. It demands immediate collaboration between local government and national agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), and the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).
Water is the lifeblood of public health. Every glass of unsafe water consumed is a failure of policy, planning, and political will. Iloilo City needs more than tankers and emergency rationing — it needs a comprehensive, sustainable, and health-centered water security solution.
If we are to claim progress, we must ensure that it flows, clean and uninterrupted, to every household. Anything less is not just inefficient — it is dangerous.
