DBM launches P1-B project to give 75 towns access to clean water

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has launched a project that would help 75 municipalities in the country have access to safe and clean water.

In a news release on Friday, the DBM said it launched the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting (SAFPB) project in Cebu City on Feb. 21.

The SAFB project has a total allocation of P1 billion under the Local Government Support Fund-SAFPB.

"Mayroon po tayong bago tayong programa—ang Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting, kung saan naglaan po ang DBM ng isang bilyong piso para sa 4th, 5th and 6th [class] municipalities, para magkaroon ng malinis na tubig ang ating mga kababayan," said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

(We have a new program—the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting, wherein the DBM allotted P1 billion for 4th, 5th, and 6th [class] municipalities that would give our countrymen access to clean water.)

The DBM said the project will give 75 municipalities access to safely managed and resilient water supply and sanitation services.  

Beneficiaries include five LGUs in Quezon province, four in Bohol, and four in Lanao del Norte, among others.

The Budget department said that each municipality will receive P6 million to P13 million for the construction of their respective LGUs' water supply and sanitation projects.

The DBM said that project is also "unique" as it will use "participatory budgeting," meaning that not only government officials but also Civil Society Organizations will have a say in the identification, implementation, and monitoring of the projects.

This is in line with the DBM's commitment to promoting open government in the country, the agency said.

"We believe that ensuring sustainable water supply and sanitation services in local government units is key to Philippine development, human development, public health, and poverty reduction," said Pangandaman. — VDV, GMA Integrated News