From 11 to 15 September, the MWSS Regulatory Office (RO), represented by Chief Regulator Atty. Patrick Lester N. Ty and Public Information Department Manager Joan Michelle S. Antonio, took part in the International Water Association World Water Congress and Exhibition (WWCE) 2022 held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The IWA WWCE 2022 is an initiative to track the water sector progress on the @unitednations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 6, which aims to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”
On 12 September, the MWSS RO engaged in a “Roundtable Dialogue of Regulators on Inclusive Urban Sanitation, together with other Regulators from countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The body discussed current approaches to advance inclusive urban sanitation. Specifically, they delved on the following: 1) opportunities and challenges in setting up accountable public services systems; 2) promotion of inclusive urban sanitation across low-and middle-income countries (LMIC); and, 3) exploration on the possibility of a forum which will allow a regular knowledge exchange through a series of learning events.
From 14 to 15 September, the MWSS RO participated in the 7th International Water Regulators Forum (IWRF) with the theme, “Regulating Water Services in Times of Increasing Natural, Social, and Economic Uncertainty.”
The IWRF is an international meeting of high level representatives of regulatory authorities and officials of agencies from IWA’s global network with regulatory and supervisory functions over the provision of water, sanitation, and water management services. MWSS RO Chief Regulator Ty is part of the Programme Committee together with other high-profile members of the IWA regulators community.
Chief Regulator Ty delivered a case presentation titled “Changing Regulatory Climate Amidst Political Instability: The Case of Metro Manila” at the 7th IWRF, where he gave insights about the challenges and solutions to the past water crises in Metro Manila; the issues surrounding the original Concession Agreements, specifically the Arbitration decisions; the salient provisions in the Revised Concession Agreement; the current Rate Rebasing proposals of concessionaires Manila Water Company, Inc. and Maynilad Water Services, Inc.; the powers and functions of the MWSS RO under Executive Order No. 149, series of 2021; and the proposals to establish a Water Regulatory Commission and a Department of Water, Sewage and Sanitation in the country.
In other sessions that Chief Regulator Ty and Department Manager Antonio attended, industry leaders shared emerging regulatory practices in effectively dealing with unpredictable circumstances and conditions, such as emerging diseases and international conflicts, that affect the regulators’ capacities to perform their mandates. Effective strategies for resilient regulatory services provision were also discussed among the participants.
Know more about the #WorldWaterCongress:
Website – https://worldwatercongress.org/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/InternationalWaterAssociation
Twitter – https://twitter.com/IWAHQ
Check out other international and local stakeholder engagements of the MWSS RO: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.339871998166742…
For more information about the MWSS RO, visit our website at https://ro.mwss.gov.ph