Manila StandardbyManila
Standard April 26, 2023, 12:15 am in
Editorial, Opinion Reading Time: 3
We are encouraged by the
Presidential statement earlier on that
his 10-month administration has plans
to ensure the country’s agricultural sector would not be badly jabbed by the
impact of a possible El Niño phenomenon.
He told farmers at an event in
Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, right in the bosom
of the rice granary of the Central Plains,
that government officials are crafting
plans to ensure that water supply would
not be reduced.
He ordered the creation of
an El Niño unit and told government
agencies to prepare for the said phenomenon, as chances of a dry spell
continued to increase, which underlined weathermen’s announcement the
PAGASA might issue an El Niño alert
by May.
In a separate interview, Mr.
Marcos stressed the need to ensure the
country’s water supply to mitigate the
effects of El Niño, adding the government was looking for ways to “convert
our dependence of water supply from
underground water to surface water,”
and one way was to make use of the
rainwater and conserve it until needed.
At the same time, we are a
bit flustered by the statement of former
agriculture secretary and Federation
of Free Farmers president Leonardo
Montemayor the production of vegetables will be affected by the El Niño phenomenon in the agriculture sector.
Montemayor added El Niño
could result in a supply shortage with
vegetables in the country, with the real
impact of this weather phenomenon
starting to be felt from July onwards.
We note the palay harvest
for the dry season crop is ongoing. At
least the impact on palay is not yet felt,
but, according to Montemayor, for other
crops that need water, like vegetables,
these are already affected.
Earlier on, Climatology and
Agrometeorology division chief Dr.
Marcelino Villafuerte II of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA)’s Impact Assessment and
Applications Section, said the weather
bureau might increase the El Niño alert
status in May.
“Overall, if there is an issue
with water due to lack of rains and high
temperature, it affects the water for
vegetables. Farmers should make sure
their crops receive enough water,” Montemayor noted.
We understand the increasing
anxiety of farmers, since the drought
will not only affect the crops, the high
temperature will also affect animals.
There is also a greater possibility that more problems will erupt like a
red tide.
Montemayor is on track when
he says we really need to be prepared,
pointing out, as chaser of a thought, the
water for irrigation is also affected, particularly with the continuous drop in the
level of Angat Dam, which supplies the
requirement of at least 25,000 hectares
of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.
But President Marcos Jr.’s
statement should raise the confidence
of not just the farmers but all Filipinos
standing on El Niño’s helpless path.
