TALAKAG, Bukidnon — The village of Tagbak, some 15.5 kilometers east of this town, lacks potable water sources and has relied on intermittent water supply for years.
This is the reality of whoever will win in the May 9 elections where three million Filipinos that have to rely on unsafe and unsustainable water sources according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The situation could worsen in Barangay Tagbak, an agricultural village of 2,203 Talaandig and Higaonon farmers, as summer sets in and climate change could increase the temperature drying up water sources around the village located at the foothills of Mt. Kalatungan in Bukidnon.
“Sometimes the water would stop flowing abruptly and we have to wait for a few minutes to an hour before it starts to flow again,” Eileen Hinganan, a mother of eight children said.
The 47-year-old Hinganan sat beside a plastic container for an hour as she waited for the water to trickle from a rusty pipe, the only water source in their small community.
Beside her, several containers are waiting, their owners silently watching at the sidelines for Hinganan to fill her container.
“During summer the flow of water would stop and we have to go to a nearby water impounding dike to get water,” she said.
Hinganan, whose farmer-husband earns P2,800 a month said she had to shell out P50 a week for an auto-rickshaw to carry ten containers to the impounding dike.
For washing their plates and kitchen utensils, Hinganan pointed to a water hole by the side of the highway that is filled with murky rainwater.
“During hot summers, that water hole will dry up and we have to save our water for washing our utensils,” she said.
She said she would use the water from the containers to wash their clothes, cook their food, and bathe her eight children.
Barangay Tagbak Kagawad Warlito Angga-On said the village local government unit allotted P2 million to construct a pumping station to supply water to the village’s 400 households.
Angga-On said the P2 million would have come from their Internal Revenue Allocation (IRA) and the Talakag municipal government would shoulder the rest of the expenses.
He said the total cost of the pumping station was estimated to reach P4 million pesos.
Angga-On said after submitting their proposal to the Talakag municipal government, nothing was heard about it anymore.
“That was four years ago. I think nothing would come out of our proposal,” Angga-On said.
Angga-On said meanwhile, the residents of Barangay Tagbak have to make do with the intermittent water supply in their village.
He said the situation was aggravated when the PNP constructed a camp to house a platoon of policemen guarding the Talakag-Lantapan highway.
Angga-On said because of the location of the camp on top of a hill, precious water from the village is siphoned with the use of pumps.
“The pumps draw the water from the pipes laid out throughout the village,” he said.
Angga-On said the village had lesser water during the hot summers after that.
Retired Army Major General Johnny Macanas was driving through the village one day when he saw several kids drawing water by the roadside in Barangay Tagbak.
Curious, Macanas pulled to a stop and came to know the story of how Barangay Tagbak survived with a lack of potable water sources.
“I saw how Barangay Tagbak is left behind in terms of potable water sources and water is an extremely important resource we can not live without,” Macanas said.
Macanas immediately offered the villagers his pickup truck to bring the containers to the impounding dike to save them transportation money.
The villagers were elated and filled Macanas’ pickup truck with all their available containers.
That was the start of the friendship between the villagers and the former general who spent years hunting rebels and terrorists in Mindanao.
“We always look forward when Mang Johnny comes to help us. His kindness helps us save money,” 30-year-old Mirasol Reyes said.
The WHO said Mirasol, Angga-On, and Hinganan are among the more than three million Filipinos who lack access to safe and sustainable sources.
It said the lack of water could have serious health consequences like basic hygiene to prevent infection from diseases including the Covid-19. (This story is supported by a grant from Oxfam Philippines)
