HOUSE Minority Leader and 4Ps Rep. Marcelino Libanan has urged local government units (LGUs) to tap the People's Survival Fund (PSF) for rain-harvesting systems.
In a statement on Sunday, Libanan said that under the 2026 General Appropriations Act, P1 billion was allocated for the PSF "to help finance climate adaptation initiatives, including the installation of functional rainwater collection and storage systems that can strengthen communities' resilience against potential freshwater shortages." "We should make rainwater harvesting a regular practice so communities can build up additional freshwater reserves before severe dry periods set in," he said.
Last Monday, amid the El Niño threat, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that 47 areas, including Metro Manila, could experience dry weather by the end of November, while Camarines Sur could experience a dry spell.
Aside from Metro Manila, the 47 places in Luzon are Abra, Albay, Apayao, Aurora, Bataan, Batangas, Benguet, Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Cavite, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Laguna, Marinduque, Masbate, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Sorsogon, Tarlac, and Zambales.
The following places in Visayas are among the 47 on the list: Aklan, Antique, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Northern Samar, Samar (Western Samar), and Southern Leyte.
The Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte, both in Mindanao, were also part of the 47 threatened areas.
Pagasa defines a dry condition as below-normal rainfall (21 to 60 percent less than average precipitation) for two consecutive months.
"Every liter of rainwater captured and stored today can help cushion households and communities from water shortages tomorrow. Investing in rainwater harvesting is one of the simplest, most practical, and most cost-effective climate adaptation measures available to us," Libanan said.
A board composed of the following administers the PSF, the statement said: the secretaries of the Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Department of Economy, Planning, and Development; the chairman of the Philippine Commission on Women; the vice chairman of the Climate Change Commission; "and representatives from the scientific community, business sector, and non-governmental organizations."