SEN. Bong Go urged the government to step up preparations for the anticipated Super El Niño.
“Early warning is important, but it must be immediately followed by early action,” Go said on Friday.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has deployed monitoring and early-warning systems in vulnerable areas, using automated weather stations, satellite-based heat-stress monitoring and geographic information system-based risk modeling.
These include wildfire alerts in the Ilocos Region, coral-bleaching monitoring in Central Luzon, and tracking of heat indices, rainfall deficits and water levels in the Agusan Marsh. Similar systems are being used in parts of Bicol to monitor drying creeks, forests and shallow reefs.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has warned that El Niño could persist until March or June 2027. About 40 provinces are expected to experience reduced rainfall, potentially doubling by January. Temperatures could reach 38.7 degrees Celsius by March, while heat indices may climb to 45 to 52 degrees.
Go called on the Department of Agriculture, National Irrigation Administration, water districts and LGUs to prepare contingency plans, particularly in drought-prone communities.
He urged concerned agencies to expedite the distribution of seeds, fertilizer, fuel assistance and irrigation support to farmers and fisherfolk whose livelihoods are threatened by crop failures, water shortages and deteriorating fishing conditions.
Government data cited by Go showed that 106 cities and municipalities in five regions had declared states of calamity due to worsening dry conditions. More than 388,000 people had been affected, while agricultural damage and production losses reached an estimated P5.56 billion, affecting over 201,000 farmers and fisherfolk.
Go earlier filed Senate Bill 673, which seeks full crop insurance coverage for qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries, particularly smallholder farmers cultivating five hectares or less, to protect them against losses caused by natural calamities and other agricultural risks.
