MANILA, Philippines -- Some 115 waterless municipalities across the country will soon finally get clean water, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced Sunday.

This possibly was made a step closer after the DILG, the Department of Health (DoH) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission(NAPC) signed the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the “Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig sa Lahat” program of President Benigno S. Aquino III.

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said the program aims to increase the water service coverage to 155 priority waterless municipalities. Waterless municipalities are defined as municipalities with less than 50 percent service coverage.

These priority municipalities covered by the program include: Seven in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); three in Region I; nine in Region II; one in Region IV-A; 12 in Region IV-B; 10 in Region V; two in Region VI; 17 in Region VII; three in Region VIII; 16 in Region IX; 14 in Region X; five in Region XI; 10 in Region XII; three in Region XIII; and three in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The IRR contained the strategies in attaining the objectives of the program which include eligible projects under the program; institutional arrangements for the program; process flow of the program including the procedural requirements under each stage; funds disbursement scheme; and modes in the procurement of goods and services needed by the sub-projects.

It also covers the steps and procedures for the project implementation, arrangement, management structures, fund transfer, and utilization of fund, among others.

Last year, the DILG, DoH and NAPC signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the implementation of the President’s Water and Sanitation program.

The three criteria in selecting priority barangays are poverty incidence, access rate to water service coverage, and incidence of water-borne diseases.

The program promotes shared responsibility between the national government and local government units in providing water supply systems to waterless areas by awarding national government grants and requiring local government counterpart funding.

Robredo said the program will also provide capacity development to the municipalities and water service providers in the implementation and management of their water supply and sanitation services.

Under the implementation arrangement, the NAPC will serve as the overall lead coordinating agency in the implementation of the program, identify the list of waterless and ensure that priority be given to barangays in municipalities considered the neediest among the needy.