Water is a basic necessity that is not abundant in the fourth class Municipality of Luisiana in Laguna. For the residents of this town, water is a treasure that should never be wasted.

“Talagang bawat patak ng tubig no’ng panahong ’yon, gintong ginto (During those times, every drop of water was really priceless),” Luisiana resident Juliet Monterey stated while sharing how her family used to allocate the available water supply for their household.

A resident of the town for 14 years now, Monterey recalled how they struggle to maximize their limited water supply for cooking, bath, laundry, and for other household use. She shared that her husband even improvised a rainwater collection and filtration system for them to have more water for chores.

Lack of water supply an obstacle to development

“Paano ko maiguguhit itong development programs and projects namin kung isa sa mga ibinibigay naming serbisyo like patubig is wala (How can I plan our [town’s] development programs and projects if one of our basic services like a water system is not in place)?” Engr. Mario Baldovino, Luisiana Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator, posed.

According to him, the town cannot attract investors due to what he described as their “long-running and very chronic problem” of inadequate water supply.

The Municipality of Luisiana sources its supply from neighboring towns of Lucban and Majayjay, while its residents rely on scheduled and limited distribution.

With the assistance of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), Baldovino and the Luisiana Local Government Unit (LGU) believe that the town’s basic need will be met.

Baldovino stated, “Sa tulong ng PRDP, ito na siguro ang magiging katuparan ng aming pangarap (Through the help of PRDP, our dream might be fulfilled).”

PRDP-funded potable water system a blessing

The PRDP-funded “Construction of Luisiana Level II Potable Water System” is projected to benefit at least 4,735 households or 23,675 individuals in the municipality. This infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject worth P73.71 million has a physical progress of 51.26 percent as of June 15.

“Blessing na blessing talaga sa aming lahat ’yon (That is such a blessing to all of us here),” expressed Monterey.

She explained how the subproject would relieve her family from worrying about insufficient water. She also shared that because of the new water system, they feel secure and can now somehow savor the joy of having enough water.

Monterey clarified that even if the water system is already in place, their family will continue consuming the available water supply responsibly. She said that water is treasure. “Alam na namin kung paano ang mawalan, alam din namin kung paanong magkaron (We know how it is to be deprived [of water], we also know how to have enough supply),” Monterey stated.

Luisiana aiming high

Luisiana residents are big dreamers according to Baldovino. He said that they now see the start of the town’s development with the completion of the potable water system subproject.

“Uhaw kami sa tubig, kaya dito na siguro matutugunan ang aming problema (We are thirsty for water, so this might be the answer to our problem),” Baldovino said.  ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-PRDP South Luzon PSO InfoACE Unit)

Juliet Monterey shows the rainwater collection and filtration system devised by her husband for them to have additional water supply. (Photo by Ana Francesca Chavez)