Marcos wants El Niño team, information drive on water and energy conservation
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered the creation of an El Niño team that will address the threats posed by the looming dry spell on people’s access to water and electricity.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Office of Civil Defense Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said that the president called to form the group under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to mitigate the impact of El Niño, which was forecasted to start by the third quarter of 2023.
“President Bongbong Marcos gave clear instructions or orders to strengthen our preparations for the possible negative effects of El Niño,” Nepomuceno said in Filipino.
Nepomuceno added that Marcos has directed government agencies to come up with a campaign to spread awareness on water and energy conservation as concerns of shortages from El Niño arise.
The official also noted that the Department of Health will be preparing to address any spike in illnesses that may appear as a result of El Niño.
These measures are part of the government's "whole-of-nation" or "whole-of-government" approach to cushioning the impact of El Nino, Nepomuceno added.
El Nino now 80% likely to take place
In the same briefing, state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Administration (PAG-ASA) said that the probability of the occurrence of El Niño this coming June, July and August increased to 80%.
The probability may also spike to about 86% for the months of November, December, and January, said PAG-ASA Deputy Administrator Esperanza Cayanan.
“Before we feel the effects of El Niño—which is less amount of rainfall in most areas of the country—we still have the rainy season,” Cayanan said in Filipino.
“If we conserve the rainwater, we can preserve it and increase the storage of water during the rainy season,” she added.
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Public awareness campaign
To stay ahead of a possible drought during El Niño—which previously wiped out crops worth $327 million in 2015 and prompted hunger strikes among farmers—the government is also pursuing a public awareness campaign to encourage Filipinos to limit their consumption of water.
Besides conserving the supply of water, Nepomuceno added that the president has also urged Filipinos to be mindful of their energy consumption.
Previous El Niño-induced rainfall shortages in 2010 and 2015 reduced the supply of water needed to run hydroelectric power plants that generate electricity, which led to rotating power outages in several areas in the country.
The Department of Energy has reported “thin” power reserves, “but the supply of electricity remains adequate,” Nepomuceno said. – Cristina Chi
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