The national government should not be complacent over reports that the rainy season is now underway, and instead take the necessary measures to look into possible interventions in the light of the impending return of El Niño this year.
Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar, who authored House Resolution 1024, said the government must prepare for the impending dry season and its adverse effects that threaten to impact various sectors such as agriculture, essential and non-essential industries and might also stoke inflation.
“Apart from agriculture, water resources, power generation, health and sanitation, and other sectors are likely to be impacted by El Niño, and concerned state agencies must prepare to mitigate the impacts of severe weather conditions,” Villar said.
The resolution, filed on 24 May, calls on two House committees, agriculture and food and energy, to investigate possible interventions in the face of El Niño, which Villar predicts will begin this year with a 90 percent chance.
The probe will also be launched in an effort to lessen El Niño’s consequences, offer steady and dependable electricity, and give necessary support to impacted farmers.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA had earlier warned that Filipinos should brace for warmer weather in the months of July, August, or September, as El Niño is projected to start in the second part of the year, which may persist up to the first quarter of 2024.
El Niño is a weather pattern that rains less than usual, resulting in dry spells and drought, which could also negatively impact poultry and livestock.
There is also a significant chance of ocean surface warming later this year, the state weather bureau has said.
Dry spells
Meanwhile, Villar pointed to a report by experts who said that El Niño’s effects often bring about hot, dry weather and below-normal rainfall conditions, which could have unfavorable consequences like dry spells and droughts in some parts of the nation. Other places may also get rain that is heavier than usual.
Villar also warned that the country’s farming and fishing industries, as well as workers’ livelihoods and food security, could suffer a hit from dry weather, citing the country’s prior experience with the El Niño phenomenon, which resulted in a fall in agricultural output.
The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday said it is taking the necessary actions to prepare the agriculture and fisheries sector ahead of the looming El Niño phenomenon this year.
“We in the DA are doing our best in trying to allocate the resources like seeds, fertilizers, and other commodities that are necessary for the impact of the El Niño phenomenon to the farming communities in the country,” Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said.