Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali has raised concerns over contaminated water and inadequate waste management systems, warning that these could affect millions of Filipino households.

During a Regional Development Council (RDC) III meeting, Umali called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to strictly implement Republic Act 9275, or the Clean Water Act of 2004.

Umali, who chairs the RDC III Infrastructure Development Committee, described the issue as a “silent crisis” not only in Central Luzon but across the country.

“The law was designed to protect the country’s water resources by preventing pollution at its source, yet implementation remains weak,” he said.

The governor urged the DENR to investigate how local government units and private septage service providers are managing and disposing of septic waste collected from households and businesses.

He said the issue surfaced after a proposal involving the disposal of untreated wastewater from septage treatment facilities reached his office. He also noted that several local government units and water districts have yet to fully deliver septage management services to their constituents.

In Central Luzon, septage collection has been suspended in Angeles City and the municipality of Apalit, Pampanga.

Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II ordered the suspension of septage and environmental fee collections from consumers through his first executive order last year. Three months later, Apalit Mayor Oscar “Jun” Tetangco Jr. adopted a similar move through Sangguniang Bayan Resolution No. 20.

With the suspension of collections, concerns have been raised over the proper disposal of untreated septage waste.

The Clean Water Act mandates shared responsibility between the government and the private sector in protecting, preserving, and rehabilitating the country’s water bodies from land-based sources of pollution.