Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III has stressed that the staggering economic implications highlight the importance of proactive and preventive measures to mitigate the impact of the water crisis and El Niño.
Meanwhile, 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan said while the Philippines is on track to lead its Southeast Asian neighbors in economic growth and jobs creation in the months ahead, severe El Niño weather conditions could pose a significant risk.
Pimentel said it is very crucial for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to use the State of the Nation Address (SONA) as a platform to present long-term strategies and sustainable solutions that can cushion the effects of water shortage and El Niño.
He cited a study by Columbia University which indicated that the El Niño event of 1997-1998 left 70 percent of the Philippines Pimentel also mentioned the statement by the Union Bank of the Philippines chief economist Ruben Carlo Asuncion that a strong El Niño event could lead to national gross domestic product (GDP) losses of up to $3.3 billion.
As the country grapples with a recurring water shortage and the looming threat of El Niño, Pimentel urged President Marcos to prioritize long-term measures to address these pressing issues in his second SONA on Monday (July 24).
“It’s not just Maharlika Investment Fund,” he quipped.
He emphasized the urgent need to address the water crisis and mitigate the impact of El Niño, particularly on agricultural productivity and the livelihood of farmers, the most vulnerable to El Niño.
“The adverse effects of water shortage and El Niño have far-reaching consequences on various sectors of the economy,” Pimentel said.
He pointed out that past droughts and water crises have caused a significant toll on the economy, business, agriculture, power generation, public health, and natural resources, among others.
Last March, the President himself acknowledged the gravity of the water crisis, stating that 11 million families lack access to clean water as the dry season approaches. “The concerns about the impending water shortage and El Niño phenomenon were made earlier. What measures did the government do?” Pimentel asked.
“As I said before, the government should take an anticipatory approach and not merely be passive in addressing these challenges,” he added.
The United Nations World Meteorological Organization officially declared the emergence of El Niño conditions in the Tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years, with a 90 percent probability of it persisting until the second half of 2024.
Pimentel also appealed to the public to conserve water and electricity during this critical period.
“These problems need immediate attention and concerted efforts from both the government and the public. I implore each of us to conserve water,” he said.
“Government should spare no effort in mitigating El Niño’s adverse impact on irrigation water supply and farm harvests, which could put an unwanted upward pressure on food prices,” Libanan said.
Libanan made the statement on the eve of President Marcos second SONA on the country’s situation, the government’s agenda for the next 12 months, and recommend to Congress certain legislative measures.
“Right now, investments and employment are on the rise, consumption spending is on the upswing, public and private construction are revving up, and even foreign tourists are coming back in droves,” Libanan noted.
“It would seem that the President’s overseas promotional trips in his first year in office, particularly to Japan, Singapore and the United States, are starting to bear fruit in generating new investments,” Libanan added.
The Philippines’ GDP was projected to grow at six percent this year – the highest in Southeast Asia, with Vietnam seen expanding by 5.8 percent, Indonesia by 4.8 percent, Malaysia by 4.7 percent, Thailand by 3.5 percent and Singapore by 1.5 percent, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in an outlook released on July 19.
The country’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent in May this year from 6.0 percent in May 2022 and 4.5 percent in April 2023, based on the Labor Force Survey results released by the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) on July 7.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), in a July 4 bulletin, said: “El Niño is present in the tropical Pacific and will persist until the first quarter of 2024, showing signs of strengthening in the coming months.”
“El Niño increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions, which could bring negative impacts (such as dry spells and droughts) in some areas of the country. However, over the western part of the country, above-normal rainfall conditions during the southwest monsoon season (habagat) may also be expected,” the state weather bureau warned.
When the Philippines last endured a full-blown El Niño event in 2019, vast parts of the country, including Metro Manila, reeled from a drought that caused widespread water shortages and farm losses, after dams and lakes that supply potable and irrigation water experienced a massive decline in rainfall.