A tripartite memorandum of agreement between the Local Water Utilities Administration, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Philippine Association of Water Districts on the close monitoring, management and development of watershed areas was presented to President Gloria Arroyo from signatories of the three government agencies, a press release from Malacañang said.

Under the MOA, the three government agencies agreed to recognize existing administrative, jurisdictional, and institutional arrangements and responsibilities over specific watersheds under prevailing laws, and contractual agreements, it said.

The three agencies also agreed to execute site-specific MOAs for watershed development and management with the DENR field offices and LWUA districts and to constitute an oversight committee at the national level to monitor, evaluate, and review the progress and accomplishments of the watershed rehabilitation, protection and management activities at the program level and the site-specific project level, the press release added.*

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