Before 2020, my experience with water in Iligan City was very different from what we are experiencing today. Water used to flow 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We could turn on the faucet and expect water to come out. We could wash our clothes, clean our homes, bathe, cook, and carry out our daily activities without constantly worrying about whether water would be available.

But things have changed.

Over the years, water interruptions have become increasingly common. What used to be an occasional inconvenience has turned into a recurring struggle. And 2026 has been the worst year yet for water interruptions.

My own family has experienced the hardship firsthand. We have had to tirelessly fetch water just to meet our basic household needs. We are forced to conserve every drop, carefully ration what little water we have, and constantly worry about running out. Even washing our clothes has become a challenge because sometimes we simply do not have enough water.

Think about that for a moment. Something as ordinary as washing clothes, taking a bath, cleaning the house, or getting water whenever we need it has become a source of stress. Families should not have to spend so much time and energy searching for water just to live normally.

Water is not a luxury. It is essential for survival, sanitation, health, dignity, and everyday life. We should not have to struggle this much to obtain one of our most basic necessities.

Iligan City, the City of Waterfalls — except there is no water when we need it.

How heartbreaking is that? Our city is known for its magnificent waterfalls and abundant natural beauty, yet many residents are left dealing with dry faucets, weak water pressure, unexpected interruptions, and uncertainty about when their water supply will return. What should be a source of pride has become a painful contradiction in the daily lives of affected families.

And this is not just my family's experience. Public complaints, Facebook posts, community discussions, and news reports reveal that water interruptions have affected households across different parts of Iligan City.

Reports and publicly available discussions point to several recurring problems. One of the most serious concerns is the condition of the water distribution infrastructure. A report published in February 2024 concerning Commission on Audit findings stated that the Iligan City Waterworks System (ICWS) was losing approximately 64% of its water production through leaks and other water losses. Of the reported 150.75 million liters produced daily, only about 53.66 million liters reached consumers as billed water. The report identified old, leaking underground pipes as a major factor.

This is deeply concerning. Water that should reach households is being lost before consumers can use it. Such substantial losses raise serious questions about infrastructure rehabilitation, leak detection, maintenance, funding, and the long-term reliability of the distribution system.

The problem has also continued to appear in more recent reports. In April 2026, the Philippine News Agency reported that an emergency pipe burst led to a shutdown affecting an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 households across 15 urban barangays. Water rationing was organized while repair work continued. According to the report, the interruption occurred unexpectedly, leaving the water utility unable to provide advance notice.

These incidents illustrate how a pipeline failure can disrupt the lives of thousands of families at once. They also demonstrate why emergency repairs and temporary water deliveries, while necessary during a crisis, must be accompanied by long-term improvements to prevent recurring disruptions.

On Facebook, the issue has also been discussed through public posts documenting interruptions, complaints about unreliable service, and concerns about repeated repairs. The Facebook posts collected in the petition update titled “Facebook posts regarding the current water interruptions in this city” reflect the ongoing public concern surrounding this problem. Community discussions on Reddit have likewise included residents asking when water will return, reporting prolonged interruptions, and expressing frustration over limited updates and uncertainty about restoration.

These online accounts are individual reports rather than a complete statistical record of every interruption. Nevertheless, alongside documented news reports and audit findings, they show why residents' experiences deserve attention and why transparent, reliable information about the water system is so important.

The reasons behind individual interruptions may differ. They can include damaged or aging pipelines, emergency repairs, leaks, equipment malfunctions, and other operational problems. But whatever the immediate cause, residents need more than temporary solutions after their taps have already run dry. We need a water system that is properly maintained, systematically improved, and capable of providing dependable service.

We need clear information about what is causing these recurring failures, what is being done to address them, how much progress is being made, and when residents can realistically expect lasting improvements. We need meaningful accountability, timely public advisories, transparent reporting, and a concrete plan for improving water service across affected communities.

Most importantly, we need action that results in reliable water access — not merely another repair followed by another interruption.

Imagine being a parent who cannot be sure there will be enough water for the family's needs. Imagine a student trying to prepare for school without sufficient water to bathe. Imagine a worker returning home exhausted, only to find that there is no water for cleaning, cooking, or washing clothes. Imagine elderly residents, people with disabilities, and families with limited resources being forced to find alternative sources whenever their supply disappears.

These are not minor inconveniences. They affect people's time, finances, health, comfort, and dignity. The burden falls on ordinary families who are simply trying to live their lives.

I am pleading and begging for your help. Please sign this petition. Please share it. Please help us make this issue heard.

I started this petition because I do not want my family, my fellow Iliganons, and future generations to continue experiencing this same struggle. I want a future in which families can depend on their water supply instead of constantly preparing for the next interruption. I want children to grow up knowing that clean, reliable water is something they can count on. I want Iligan City to live up to its name without its people having to suffer from a lack of water in their own homes.

But I cannot make this happen alone.

That is why I am asking for support not only from the residents of Iligan City, but also from people throughout the Philippines and across the entire world.

You do not have to live in Iligan City to sign this petition. You do not have to be Filipino. You do not have to have personally experienced these interruptions to care about the people who are suffering from them.

If you believe that every family deserves dependable access to water, your support matters. If you believe that communities should not have to endure recurring disruptions to meet their most basic needs, your support matters. If you believe that public services must be improved when people continue to experience serious difficulties, your support matters.

To every Iliganon, every former resident, every person with family or friends in Iligan, every Filipino living elsewhere in the country, every overseas Filipino, and every concerned person anywhere in the world: please stand with us.

I am asking you to do more than sign.

• Sign the petition to add your voice to our collective demand for reliable water service.
• Share the petition on Facebook, including your personal profile, public pages, relevant groups, and community groups where sharing is permitted.
• Post and share it on other platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads, Reddit, YouTube, and other social media communities.
• Spread the petition through group chats, including Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, and other messaging platforms.
• Share it on websites, blogs, online forums, community pages, and other appropriate online spaces.
• Encourage your friends, relatives, coworkers, classmates, and online communities to sign and share it too.
• If you are a content creator, community administrator, journalist, blogger, or public advocate, please consider helping bring greater attention to this issue.
• Keep spreading the word. A single share can reach someone who has never heard about the situation in Iligan. That person may share it with hundreds or thousands of others.

Please do not assume that someone else will do it. Please do not assume that one signature or one share is insignificant. Every person who signs, every person who shares, and every person who helps spread awareness can contribute to a stronger public voice.

We need this petition to reach beyond our city limits. We need people across the Philippines and throughout the world to learn about what residents are experiencing. We need the issue to receive greater public attention so that the demand for lasting improvements cannot simply fade away after another interruption is repaired.

Our goal is not to attack ordinary workers who are trying to repair the system, nor is it to spread unverified claims. Our goal is to demand a reliable water supply, transparent information, responsible management, and lasting solutions from the institutions responsible for providing this essential service.

We call on the Iligan City Government, the Iligan City Waterworks System, and the relevant national agencies to take decisive and transparent action.

We ask for a concrete timeline for the rehabilitation and replacement of aging and leaking pipelines, stronger maintenance and leak-detection programs, regular public reporting on water losses and repair progress, timely and accurate advisories, and meaningful consultation with affected residents. We also ask that long-term water improvement plans be pursued transparently, with clear milestones and public accountability.

Temporary water rationing can help people survive an immediate emergency, but it cannot replace a dependable water system. Repeated repairs cannot be the only answer if the underlying problems remain unresolved. The people of Iligan deserve lasting improvements that reduce interruptions and restore confidence in their water service.

I know that one petition cannot solve every problem overnight. But I believe that a united public voice can help bring attention to an issue that affects thousands of households and deserves serious, sustained action.

Please help us make that voice louder.

Please sign if you can. Share if you can. Tell someone about this issue. Repost the petition. Encourage your online communities to take notice. If you cannot contribute financially, you can still help by spreading awareness. You do not need money, influence, or a large following to make a difference.

All I am asking is that you help us get this petition in front of more people.

Iligan City deserves better. Our families deserve better. Every resident deserves dependable access to water.

Let us work together so that the next generation will not have to look back on this period and remember the countless times their families struggled to find water. Let us work toward a future in which water interruptions become the exception rather than a recurring part of everyday life.

Iligan is known as the City of Waterfalls. Let us make it a city where people can also depend on the water that should reach their homes.

Please sign. Please share. Please spread this petition across the Philippines and around the world. Please help us turn our frustration into a collective demand for meaningful change.

From one concerned resident and one struggling family to everyone who is willing to listen: we are asking for your help. We cannot do this alone, and we should not have to face this problem in silence.

Water is essential. Reliable water service is not too much to ask.

Help us make reliable, 24/7 water service a reality for Iligan City.