Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 18) — Several government agencies met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Tuesday in a bid to find ways to mitigate the effects of the El Niño weather pattern seen to affect the country until next year.
“Nagbigay po kanina ng malinaw na instructions or utos ang Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na palakasin pa ho natin iyong paghahanda doon sa inaasahang masamang epekto ng El Niño,” Office of Civil (OCD) undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said at a briefing.
[Translation: President Bongbong Marcos gave clear instructions on how to strengthen the preparations for the effects of El Niño.]
Among the other agencies present at the briefing were the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). However, Nepomuceno said the Department of Health will also play an important role in preparing measure to ensure the public’s health is safeguarded when El Niño occurs.
Nepomuceno added preparation was key in softening the effects of El Niño.
The climate pattern increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions that can cause dry spells and droughts in some areas of the country, PAGASA said.
“There are two specific instructions given by the President, dalawa po iyon: Unang-una, pinasigurado sa amin iyong sinasabi nating whole-of-government or whole-of-nation approach… Ang susi dito ay iyong maagang paghahanda,” he said.
[Translation: There are two specific instructions given by the President. First is to ensure the whole-of-government or whole-of-nation approach. The key here is early preparation].
The second instruction, he added, is to ensure there are long-term processes that are protocol-based and scientific in preparation for a possible worst case scenario .
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Water supply concerns
Providing enough water for households and industries during El Niñ o is a top concern for the government, NIA acting administrator Eduardo Guillen said. He added the agency has \”short-term, medium-term and, of course, long-term\” plans.
“Itong short-term and medium-term, matagal na po itong pinaghahandaan ng NIA. In fact, mayroon po kami iyong tinatawag na cropping calendar na kung saan pinaplano po namin kung ilan ba talaga iyong mapatubigan. And dito, pina-prioritize po natin iyong mga areas na malapit sa source para sa rice planting,” he said.
[Translation: NIA has been preparing for short-term and medium-term solutions for some time now. In fact, we have a cropping calendar where we plan on who needs irrigation. From there, we prioritize areas which are near a water source for rice planting.]
For areas further away from water sources, Guillen said they would be focusing on high-value crops.
“Pagdating naman po dito sa long-term solution, ang problema po kasi natin dito ay iyong paano natin ba mai-manage itong water resource natin, eh napakarami kapag tag-ulan tapos … iyon ho. So ang gusto ng pangulo po natin ay convergence effort po ito,” he said.
[Translation: When it comes to long-term solutions, the problem is how we can manage resources as there is an abundance during the rainy season… The president wants convergence efforts for this.]
El Niño to last until 2024
DOST-PAGASA sad the country is currently on El Niño watch, meaning there is an \”above 55% probability\” that there would be a dry spell for the next six months.
DOST-PAGASA Deputy Administrator Esperanza Cayanan said this could mean a dry spell or a drought that will be felt in some parts of the country towards the last quarter of the year.
However, the agency’s latest forecast released on Monday said the probability increased to 80% in June to August, and even higher (86%) for November 2023 to January 2024
“So from El Niño watch, by next month, May, we will be issuing the second level which is El Niño alert kung saan mayroon po tayong above 70% of probability of El Niño occurrence for the next two months, so iyon po ‘yung nakikita natin,” explained Cayanan.
[Translation: So from El Niño watch, by next month, May, we will be issuing the second level which is El Niño alert where we have above 70% probability of El Niño occurrence for the next two months — that’s what we’re seeing.]
She added the country will experience a wet season before El Niño hits, including tropical cyclones until September.
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LOOK: Cayanan says they forecasted temperatures rising in May, adds one storm could arrive during the month. pic.twitter.com/ttxBIRuoRa
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) April 18, 2023
