Libreng Tubig in Tagalog means ‘free water’, and this was purportedly dispensed to the poor during the tenure of then mayor, Aldrin L. San Pedro, for the poor of Muntinlupa, which was upgraded to city status in 1995 – the Philippines’ 65th city. Muntinlupa, which means ‘Emerald City’, comprises nine barangays (districts) and hugs the southern brace of Metro Manila, and is located in the Typhoon Belt. During its dry season from November to April, it rains an average of only four days a month! While the free water public service for the poor Muntinlupenos is laudable, it’s ironic that the city hosts some the most affluent conurbations and to its east is the Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country from which the water authorities, Maynilad Water Services, also sources its water. Most of the water comes from the Angata Dam. Such is the generosity that even the neighbourhood strays gets its fill. Zamboanga, Cebu and Iloilo are believed to be the hardest hit regions when there is a drought. In a 2017 forum on Water Security and Climate Change, Senator Loren Learda cited a 2015 study that showed the Philippines will likely experience a severe water shortage by 2040, due to the combined impact of rapid population growth and climate change. This work was purchased from Reynold Dela Cruz’s solo exhibition, his second, in Forth Gallery in Singapore in June, 2008. A self-taught artist, Reynold gained attention when he won the Juror’s Choice in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards final held in Vietnam in 1998 (Malaysia’s Kow Leong Kiang won the Grand Prize). He was also a Juror’s Choice in the Letray Figuras organised by the Instituto Cervantes in 1999, and a finalist in the GSIS National competition in 2009.