San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora announced on Friday that the Wattah Wattah Festival will be suspended this year in a bid to conserve water supply amid a looming water crisis.
In an interview with the media, he said a Basbasan will instead be commenced.
“Ito [Basbasan] ang ginawa natin noong kasagsagan ng COVID-19 kung saan ang ating patron si San Juan Bautista ay inikot sa ating buong lungsod upang basbasan ang ating mamamayan.. Sa taong ito, ayun din ang ating gagawin,” Zamora said.
He said the move was made following his discussion with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and Office of the Civil Defense (OCD).
“Although, wala pa naman tayo sa water crisis ngunit kinakailangan natin na paghandaan ito. Kailangan natin gumawa ng hakbang upang i-conserve ang water supply natin. Kami sa San Juan, we will set a good example,” the San Juan City Mayor said.
Zamora said he will issue an executive order that formally suspends the Wattah Wattah Festival within the day.
The Wattah Wattah Festival or Basaan Festival is a tradition in San Juan to mark the feast day of Saint John the Baptist on June 24.
In this tradition, there is a dousing of water from the fire trucks to the residents for hours.
The Wattah Wattah Festival returned in June last year after being suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
