Collecting rainwater with a bucket is already common in many Filipino households. They have already mastered the art of catching dripping water from ceilings during rainy days. So when President Marcos Jr. urged his countrymen to purchase “balde” in preparation for the Super El Niño in a media interview in Singapore on October 11, 2026, it left people flabbergasted, although not in the way Malacañang expected.

“Super El Niño” is a “super-strong” El Niño, as declared by the World Meteorological Organization. The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) predicts that the phenomenon will intensify between September and December 2026 and continue into the first half of 2027. During this period, a large portion of the country might experience dry spells and drought, threatening food security, water resources, energy production, public health, and the broader economy.

To lessen the burden it will cause, “Bumili na kayo ng balde.” Collect and preserve rainwater today. A brilliant idea from our President, delivered in a completely serious tone, as though he had discovered a solution to world hunger.

In response to this, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) prepares to distribute free water filtration devices to justify the President’s statement. Then, to further get the point across, Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Undersecretary Claire Castro drank the “collected dirty rainwater” filtered through the demonstrated filtration system.

Evidently, a bucket will not be able to handle the pressure alone, even with the filtration kit the DSWD was handing out.

Sure, if you really think about it using our newly purchased “buckets and buckets of brains” (Castro’s response to the public’s criticism of the President’s plan), rainwater collection could be a useful supplementary measure during emergencies, as Gatchalian stated. The DSWD had already given out the kits since 2024 in Batanes when Typhoon Julian struck. During those times, they really helped those who had no access to clean drinking water.

But it shouldn’t be presented as an adequate response to a water crisis or a substitute for reliable access to safe drinking water. There are actually broader El Niño responses, according to Jerome Carlo Paunan of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), such as Project Local Adaptation to Water Access (LAWA) and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished (BINHI). So shouldn’t that have been the focus of the discussion instead of passing the responsibility onto the people by asking them to purchase water pails?

While buckets may be acceptable during an emergency, they cannot be a permanent solution during a drought.

The government must look beyond distributing filtration kits and ensure that communities have reliable access to safe drinking water. This includes investing in water infrastructure, protecting water sources, and establishing sustainable storage and conservation programs. Emergency measures should supplement these efforts, not stand in for them. Filipinos deserve more than a step-by-step guide on how to survive a crisis; we deserve a government that works to prevent the crisis from becoming unbearable.

So, a balde. Imagine working a 10-hour job, earning a minimum wage that barely covers rent, utilities, meals for four, school fees for two, and other miscellaneous expenses. You break your back working to fund poor public transportation, healthcare, education, and other government services.

Is that what you deserve? How long will you deprive yourself of a proper resolution?

Is the bucket a practical emergency measure or a way to lower our expectations of public service until they can tell us, “If you’re homeless, just buy a house,” and we won’t even bat an eye?

A pail prevails in doing its job—catching and storing water. Couldn’t the government do theirs?

In spite of being aware of all the abuse and the everyday struggles caused by poor governance, and barely being able to survive the day, how are you still not enraged by how poorly you are treated?

The question remains and will remain until you have a shift in perspective: “Kung hindi ka pa galit, bucket?”

Article by Brylle Nixi Carpeso