Reassuring that the government is prepared for El Niño, a warming of the ocean surface,
or above-average sea surface temperatures, in the
central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said with
preparations and mitigation measures in place, the
country is expected to be up to the challenge of the
weather phenomenon.
In 1982-1983, El Niño-related droughts affected 450,000 hectares of farmland in the Philippines
and the most severe El Niño occurred in 1997-1998,
when rainfall fell to half of historical levels, causing
drought in two-thirds of this basically agricultural
economy..
As early as March this year, climate monitoring and analyses by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
or PAGASA suggested the unusual warming of sea
surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific.
On twinkle toes, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to prepare for
the possible impact of El Niño, ensure “protocol-based
and scientific” long-term solutions, and come up with
a campaign to generate public awareness of water
and energy conservation.
According to Undersecretary Edillon, “We always have El Niño. Three years in, three years out,…
Its impact really depends on how well we prepare for
it. The people already know how to deal with it with
help from government agencies.”
For one, the Department of Agriculture is
mapping out the areas that could be negatively affected by the dry spell while the Department of Social
Welfare and Development said it has stockpiled food
and non-food items, ready to be augmented by local
government units.
Edillon added some areas in Luzon are already experiencing dry spell, and 36 more provinces
across the country are expected to be hit by dry spell
by December.
Moderate El Niño is seen by the end of 2023
and there is an 86 percent probability that El Niño will
become moderate between November 2023 and January 2024.
PAGASA climate monitoring chief Ana Liza
Solis told a public briefing those with health condition
should take precaution against high temperatures and
advised the public to conserve water and check for
water leaks, as well as to save energy.
She added if the El Niño prolongs, “there is
a possibility that it [2024] could be one of the highest
(hottest) year on record.”
Currently, weak El Niño persists, and this
could possibly result in dry spell or drought in the next
two months.
Officials have noted that reduction in rainfall
is likely, and, if this prolongs, high temperature will
prevail, especially towards next year.
