MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday said that a mitigation plan for El Niño phenomenon is coming “this week”.
“We will have a plan for the mitigation of the effects of El Niño this week. I just spoke to the Secretary of DENR this morning and she has told me that she will be prepared to make public what needs to be done,” Marcos said.
The President said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Agriculture and the National Irrigation Administration are working together “just to mitigate the effects of El Niño this coming, at least for this year.”
Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, Marcos said, will also help create a contingency plan for El Niño.
“Because we have enough surface water. It’s just a question of protecting it. We are designing now a system of catchment basins not only for flood control. The original plan was only for flood control,” Marcos said.
In April, Marcos had ordered a government team to focus on mitigating the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
He had also ordered the creation of the Water Resources Management Office under the Department of Environment and Natural DENR.
Due to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, water scarcity threatens many Filipinos. However, it is a world-wide phenomenon, with the United Nations warning countries to prepare for higher temperatures.