OPENING REMARKS

The Value of Water: Multi-Stakeholder Forum

Xavier Ateneo
24 January 2019

Maayong hapon sa inyong tanan. Akong pagtahud sa atong mga bisita nga nag
representa sa local government units, sa mga kauban natong lumad, sa
business groups, sa mga civil society organizations, ug sa mga acadmic
community.

In behalf of our President, Fr Roberto C Yap of the Society of Jesus, I would like
to welcome all of you to Xavier-Ateneo and to this multi-stakeholder forum on
The Value of Water. This Forum is one of the activities in our celebration of the
Social Development Week 2019.

The discussion on water is timely and very relevant given the many risks and
challenges that we face today. I look forward to the presentations and the
discussions this morning. I am also hopeful that we can have some agreements
at the end of this forum as we try to find ways in moving forward towards a
more responsible use and long-term conservation of our water resource.

In the last three days that we have been discussing the issues on water, the
key message that emerged from our students, faculty and staff including the
researches with all the data and statistics shared by our resource persons is
that of CONNECTIVITY. Somehow, water underscores the reality that we are all
connected. From our partners in the mountains in Kalatungan to the coastal
communities in Alubijid (from ridge to reef), the connection cannot be
negated. We are also recognizing that whatever we do now will have impacts
on the future. If we abuse our water today, surely our children and
grandchildren would inherit the resulting agonies and miseries.

The challenges are great. We will not be able to address all of these on our
own individually. But together, I am confident that we will overcome the rising
risks and impending disasters. This Forum provides a venue for us to come
together and create a platform for us to join hands towards a more equitable
and sustainable future.

Daghang Salamat and may the generosity and humility of water be with us all.