MALACAÑANG on Tuesday slammed Vice President Sara Duterte for ridiculing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s advice to collect rainwater ahead of the anticipated Super El Niño.
“She doesn’t know that collecting rainwater has always been a project of the government, that is the Office of the Vice President,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in Filipino in a press briefing.
Castro said the president is keen on mitigating the effects of the Super El Niño.
“To those criticizing the advice on the use of rainwater bucket, we really do need to store water. And what the president wants to convey to the public is that collecting rainwater with a bucket, storing it, and employing filtration to make it potable can help us,” said Castro.
“The president takes seriously what is happening and what is yet to unfold — situations that could worsen in the coming months. Every discussion on this matter, every message, every suggestion... these must be taken seriously,” she added.
Castro said rainwater harvesting is a recognized water management practice locally and internationally.
“To the obstructionists, I say this: we really need a bucket — a bucket of brains — so that you can understand the president’s plan,” Castro said.
She added that Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian is coordinating the release of household water management guidelines with instructional materials on home water filtration techniques.
“Do not make fun of conserving water,” Castro said.
