Running scaredWhich embattled senator is sweating ball bearings these days, scrambling to spin a tale that would paint his cushy role in the previous administration as “just following policies?”Word on the street is that this politico’s name has surfaced on a rather damning list tied to the International Criminal Court’s probe into crimes against humanity — a case so explosive it’s already dragged a certain former firebrand president all the way to The Hague. Sources say this senator’s late-night strategy sessions with his PR team have turned into a circus of finger-pointing and flimsy excuses, but will his silver tongue be enough to dodge the long arm of international justice? . Wastewater turnaround A study showed 67 percent of wastewater in the Philippines is adequately treated, one of the better numbers in the world based on a study which surveyed the proportion of domestic wastewater safely treated in the United Kingdom, Brazil, India and Kenya, and its impact on their economies.Residents of Philippine capital Metro Manila have benefited from the growth of wastewater treatment facilities. It was former President Rodrigo Duterte who pressed water companies to improve their sewage services since they collected for such services in the monthly water bills.The then president warned that the concessions to utility firms would be withdrawn if the services were not upgraded. Manila Water Company Inc. of the Razon group, according to the study, has built 40 new treatment plants since 1997, expanding its treatment capacity from 40 million liters per day to 410 million, and it plans to build 12 more plants.By 2037, the utility aims to have linked all households in its region to sewers connected to treatment plants, said the analysis launched during the World Ocean Summit in Japan on 12 March. The battle against poor sewage treatment, however, has become costly and is depleting crops and fisheries and is burdening health systems as the local economy foregoes almost $260 million or P13 trillion per year, according to the study.The report indicated that the agriculture sector bears the brunt of its effect, comprising nearly 90 percent of the loss, compounded by expenses from hospitalization and lost wages caused by drinking contaminated water.The survey was conducted by researchers of Back to Blue, a joint initiative backed by Economist Impact, the think-tank arm of media organization The Economist and Japan-based nonprofit The Nippon Foundation. “While this progress is remarkable, countries like the Philippines need to continue to invest in the maintenance and resilience of their infrastructure to reduce costs consistently in the long-term,” noted the study.Countries investing in improved wastewater treatment can go a step further to unlock additional benefits through circularity, said researchers.For instance, the report said sludge removed from wastewater can be repurposed into organic fertilizer that prevents soil erosion and supports plant growth, as well as be used to produce biogas.Water utilities in poor areas may also implement decentralized wastewater treatment systems to compensate for populations that are not all connected to a sewer, as is being done in Kenya, said the analysis.