PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is keen to adopt a proactive stance against a strong El Niño expected to affect the country in late 2026, Malacañang said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration earlier said that El Niño is set to bring record-breaking temperatures as it strengthens from late 2026 to early 2027.
”This is one of the President’s concerns so that we can all prepare, and the next generation will not have a hard time because we have already prepared the right steps,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing on Wednesday, noting the goal is to take scientific steps to protect communities, food production and water resources in advance against the weather phenomenon.
She said the president has directed key executive agencies to base all intervention strategies on scientific frameworks in coordination with the Climate Change Commission.
Castro said that rainfall and temperature extremes, which have escalated dramatically compared to previous decades, require a whole-of-government approach.
”He (Marcos) himself said that the rain back then was not as strong as it is now. The heat 10 years ago was not the same today. All that we should be doing now is according to science so that we can all work together to face this kind of climate,” Castro said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., she said, has activated the El Niño Task Force to protect farmers from the harmful effects of shifting weather patterns.
The National Irrigation Administration, on the other hand, was tasked to assist farmers with adaptive agricultural techniques and strategic planting schedules based on regional weather fluctuations.
Castro said proactive water infrastructure development, structural building safety and regional water security projects are critical to ensuring nationwide stability during prolonged dry periods.
