MANILA, Philippines — It is high time for the national government to address the potential problems that would be caused by the El Niño phenomenon and other climate concerns in the country through an infrastructure drive, a lawmaker said.
According to Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Romeo Momo Sr., President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration should prioritize building critical infrastructure that would mitigate the impact of weather phenomena and provide solutions to its possible effects.
Momo, chair of the House of Representatives Committee on public works and Highways, noted, however, that the infrastructure should be constructed with “comprehensive engineering solutions” in mind so that it would last for generations.
“It is high time that an administration prioritizes the construction of critical infrastructure that would provide solutions to not only the effects of El Niño but other weather disturbances and climate change as well,” Momo said in a statement on Sunday.
“It is the right move forward. This is not new to the Philippines. Time and again, we had seen how our communities had suffered because we were never prepared enough when the dry and wet seasons came. Today, we have an administration willing to face that painful truth. We should give it our full support,” he added.
Momo, a former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary, said the infrastructure that could be built by the government includes dams, catch basins, warning systems, levees, and seawalls.
While El Niño is not officially underway, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) last March 24 elevated its monitoring to an El Niño Watch, meaning there is a 55 percent chance of El Niño being declared between July to September 2023.
Just this last Tuesday, Pagasa said that the probability of an El Niño between June to September is now at 80 percent.
With the risks associated with El Niño, or hot sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean causing dry spells and droughts, several lawmakers, like Batangas 6th District Rep. Ralph Recto, have urged the current administration to revive and refresh the roadmap for El Niño.
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Last Wednesday, President Marcos ordered creating a team tasked to mitigate El Niño’s impact.
“It is commendable that the President has put forth clear instructions and plans on how we will deal with the impact of El Niño because this team would be able to give our problems with depleting water resources the attention it needs,” Momo said.