President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | FILE PHOTO: PCO
UPDATED MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday ordered the coordinated implementation of initiatives that address the effects of a stronger El Niño phenomenon, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said.
Marcos, during a sectoral meeting with various agencies, issued the directive for an updated national action plan on El Niño on water, agriculture, energy, health, security, education, and others.
Present at the meeting were officials from the Departments of National Defense, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Social Welfare and Development, Energy, Health, Information and Technology, Interior and Local Government, Budget and Management, Trade and Industry, and the National Economic and Development Authority.
READ: How El Niño could impact health, food and the economy
“The plans are divided into five sectors: water security to ensure sufficient water supply; food security to make sure that there is stable supply of key food commodities; income losses are minimized and access to affordable food would be expanded,” Solidum said in a Palace briefing.
“On the energy security, power interruptions should be minimized; for health, outbreak of diseases and other illnesses would be managed and minimized; and for public safety, [fire] incidents due to El Niño especially for the dry… a grassy or forested areas would be reduced,” he explained.
In a statement issued by the Presidential Communications Office, it said that Marcos instructed the creation of “Task Force El Niño” to be led by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The task force will be the coordinating body that will consolidate all measures to reduce the impacts of El Niño.
El Niño forecast
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Office of Civil Defense, during the meeting, provided updates on El Niño, which is expected to last until the second quarter of 2024.
Based on DOST’s December 6 El Niño Advisory No. 6, reiterated by Solidum in the briefing, a strong El Niño is present in the Tropical Pacific.
READ: El Niño dry spell seen to prolong consumer price risks in PH
He noted that it has further intensified and is nearing its peak in the coming months as sea surface temperature anomalies have exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Furthermore, moderate to severe drought conditions are also expected to happen in the country from February to May 2024.