Manila, Oct. 22 -- Clean water is now within reach for 70 to 80 Subanen households in Barangay Sipakong, Bacungan, Zamboanga del Norte after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) built a 50-cubic-meter Small Water Impounding System (SWIS), providing water for their domestic and agricultural needs.

The Subanen people are among the Indigenous Peoples (IP) of the Zamboanga Peninsula.

With a very strong El Nino ahead, their daily struggles with limited or unreliable water supply are further aggravated.

The DENR said on Wednesday that the SWIS project anticipates possible water shortages due to the projected very strong El Nino, which is expected to last until mid-2027.

The project supports President Ferdinand R. Marc...