Romualdez will meet with gov’t agencies on La Niña preparations

Child buys ice cream from vendor in Santo Domingo town, Albay province, one of the areas tagged by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau as prone to flood when La Niña strikes. —File photo by Shan Gabriel, Inquirer Southern Luzon

MANILA, Philippines — A high-level meeting among different government agencies will be held on Tuesday, May 14, to discuss flood preparations, given the looming threat of La Niña, House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said.

Romualdez will have a meeting with the officials from the following government agencies:

• Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
• Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
• Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)

“We are seriously preparing for the arrival La Niña before it even affects the country,” Romualdez said in Filipino in a statement on Monday.

“Pagasa has already sounded an alarm. That’s why it’s important for agencies to unite and quickly act to protect our communities from flooding,” he went on.

“Through the cooperation of the DPWH, DENR, DILG, and MMDA, and, of course, our local government officials, we can strengthen steps towards preparing for — and avoiding — calamities, and then, ensure the safety of each Filipino.”

According to Romualdez, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed lawmakers to talk with national government agencies and local government units to mitigate possible flooding.

“We need a tight-knit coordination between the national government and local government units to implement actions regarding our widespread preparations. The order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is to do everything we can to ensure the safety of communities and each Filipino family,” he said.

READ: Government allots over P225 billion for 2024 flood control projects – DBM 

According to Pagasa, the Philippines is still experiencing a weakened El Niño —  a condition under wich the average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) increase in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, resulting in warmer weather.

However, Pagasa said there is a 60 percent chance that La Niña —  the opposite of El Niño, where SSTs get cooler — would persist from June to August 2024.

“Pre-developing La Niña, historically, is characterized by below normal rainfall.  Therefore, the possibility of a slight delay on the onset of the rainy season is likely with the combined effects of the ongoing El Niño,” Pagasa said on its website.

La Niña is also expected to cause more rains and cyclones, especially during the end of 2024.

READ: La Niña to whip up more cyclones by end of 2024 – Pagasa expert 

Last Thursday, flooding was reported along Taft Avenue after some isolated afternoon rains, despite the country still being in the warm season.