Efforts to counter La Niña to be put in place—Palace

Measures to counter looming La Niña impacts in the country will be put in place, a Palace official said.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama, spokesperson of Task Force El Niño, said that one of the mandates of the task force is to prepare for the La Niña phenomenon.

“Kung pagbabasehan po natin ‘yung Executive Order No. 53 reconstituting and reactivating task force El Niño, nakalagay din po doon prepare mitigation measures for El Niño and La Niña (If we look at the Executive Order No. 53, reconstituting and reactivating task force El Niño, it includes the preparation on the mitigation measures for El Niño and La Niña),” Villarama said in an interview at the Palace.

He said the preparation would include the aspects of food security and water security or the supply of clean water, energy security, public health and public safety.

The spokesperson, however, said it is not yet determined whether the Task Force El Niño will be reactivated as task force La Niña.

“Hindi pa po natin alam kung magiging task force La Niña ‘yung Task Force El Niño pero again by virtue of Executive Order 53, kasama po ‘yung paghahanda sa La Niña ‘yung gawain ng Task Force El Niño (We don’t know yet if Task Force El Niño would become task force La Niña but again by virtue of Executive Order 53, the preparation for La Niña is among the mandates of Task Force El Niño),” Villarama said.

The task force, he added, is also looking into encouraging the issuance of an executive order to task government agencies to clean drainage, preposition emergency measures, prepare evacuation centers, and ensure enough food supply to respond to the expected La Niña impacts.

Low-lying, flood-prone and landslide-prone areas will also be closely monitored, the official said.

On March 12,  the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) confirmed that there would be a 55 percent possibility of La Niña occurring within the next six months.

La Niña is characterized by cooler sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific which triggers above-average rainfall in the country.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), damage to agriculture due to the El Niño phenomenon has already reached P1,236,853,305.08, affecting 29,409 farmers and fisherfolk nationwide. — Betheena Unite