Marcos: No need to declare nationwide state of calamity due to El Niño

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  — File photo from PPA POOL

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said he does not see the need to declare a nationwide state of calamity due to the El Niño.

In an ambush interview in Bacolod city, Marcos was asked about the provinces that have declared a state of calamity due to the dry season, aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon.

Marcos said every province will be affected to different degrees, but the government will tackle it on a regional level.

“Hindi naman pwede shotgun lang, parang one size fits all. So we look at each area and see what it is that they need. So that’s the way we are handling the local states of calamity that the local governments have declared,” said Marcos.

(It is not a shotgun approach, like a one-size-fits-all. So that’s the way we are handling the local states of calamity that the local governments have declared.)

Marcos also said the national government had taken measures such as building dams and developing irrigation systems.

Several provinces have declared a calamity due to a lack of water and the impact of El Niño on agriculture.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the El Niño has caused over P1.2 billion in damage across the country, affecting around 29,400 farmers.

Aside from water shortages, the phenomenon has also caused wildfires in Mindanao and Visayas.

The government has warned of a longer dry spell for most of the year due to the combined effects of the El Niño and the La Niña.