El Niño sends 131 areas into state of calamity

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos talks to government officers and representatives during an inspection at an onion and rice field hit by drought due to El Niño in Brgy. Central in  San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (PPA POOL)

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 131 localities across the country have declared a state of calamity due to the El Niño phenomenon, Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama said on Tuesday.

Villarama, who serves as the spokesperson for the government’s Task Force El Niño, said the cities and municipalities under a state of calamity are scattered across seven provinces – Occidental Mindoro, Antique, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao Del Norte and South Cotabato.

“As of the latest update from the Office of Civil Defense, nasa 131 cities and municipalities na po yung nadeklara ng state of calamity. Kalat kalat po iyan sa buong Pilipinas,” Villarama said in an ambush interview in Malacañan Palace.

(Based on the latest update from the Office of Civil Defense, 131 cities and municipalities have declared a state of calamity in different parts of the country.)

Damage to the agriculture sector due to the El Niño has also spiked to around P4.39 billion, Villarama said.

Villarama also reiterated the government’s reminder to save water and electricity amid the prevailing intense heat.