Binay questions government’s preparedness for El Niño

MANILA, Philippines - The government’s program to protect agricultural workers from the effects of El Niño in the coming months offers only band aid solutions, Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.

“Is the administration really prepared for El Niño? This problem requires not just band-aid solutions,” Binay said, noting that the budget set aside for emergency employment programs would only benefit 70,000 rural workers.

Binay said in the first half of the year, agricultural losses due to the dry spell caused by El Niño reached P2.19 billion, based on estimates of the Department of Agriculture.

He also questioned the allocation of P13 billion for irrigation in Metro Manila under the proposed budget of the National Irrigation Administration for 2016.

“Metro Manila can hardly be considered an agricultural area, yet the administration allocated P13 billion for Metro Manila irrigation projects which could have been diverted to other provinces,” he said.

According to Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, the P13.1-billion irrigation budget for the National Capital Region is P7 billion more than the budget earmarked for Central Luzon, an agricultural region.

Binay said the government needs to come up with more concrete measures to protect workers to be affected by El Niño.

About 83 percent of the country, including Metro Manila, will likely experience drought by the end of April next year due to El Niño, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) earlier warned.

Anthony Lucero, officer-in-charge of PAGASA’s climate impacts monitoring and prediction section, said significant reduction in rainfall is expected beginning this month until April next year over most parts of the country.

Drought refers to three consecutive months of “way below normal” rainfall or less than 60 percent reduction from average rainfall.

The El Niño episode is expected to last until May 2016, he said.

The National Economic and Development Authority has said the government would implement several measures, including cash-for-work programs, to mitigate the adverse effects of El Niño on workers.