Malacanang announced on Saturday that the Marcos administration has reactivated a task force mandated to take measures to cushion the impact of the anticipated El Niño phenomenon.
Meanwhile, Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles urged the people to continue planting trees to help mitigate the harsh effects of El Niño.
The multi-agency task force will be led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Presidential spokesperson Cheloy Garafil said in a statement.
“The team is tasked to implement measures to mitigate the impact of El Niño on the country’s economy, natural resources, environment, climate change, disaster response, and peace and order,” Garafil said.
The reconstitution of the task force, along with the revival of El Niño were in compliance with a presidential directive for a “whole-of-government” and approach to overcome the challenges of El Niño.
Concerned government agencies, in a report to the President, have agreed to continue the existing structure of the El Niño Task Force as stated under Executive Order (EO) No. 16 issued in 2001.
Under EO 16, the task force was mandated to formulate a comprehensive disaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan for El Niño, monitor the implementation of the plan, and conduct a massive public information campaign.
The order also directed all government agencies and local government units to extend full support to the El Niño task force.
Garafil said the current Expanded Roadmap for Addressing the Impact of El Niño (E-RAIN) would also be updated and enhanced.
“An issuance of a resolution indicating the adoption of the existing E-RAIN framework is recommended, and if needed, a creation of a Technical Working Group is also suggested,” she said.
To address the 2015-2016 El Niño episode, the administration of then president Benigno Aquino III crafted RAIN, which focused on ensuring food security, health, energy security, and safety in 67 impacted provinces, plus Metro Manila.
Acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez, in his report, emphasized that the reconstituted El Niño team will further improve the E-RAIN, specifically in such critical areas as food security, water security, energy security, health, and public safety.
Galvez said the monitoring of resources, recommendations of concerned agencies, and strategies employed by the previous administrations should be taken as inputs to enhance the E-RAIN framework.
Garafil said local officials would work closely with other government offices and gather the necessary data that would be consolidated by the National Economic and Development Authority.
Private sectors and other organizations must be involved with adopting the “whole-of-nation” approach, she added.
As part of government efforts to address the possible impact of El Niño, Garafil said Galvez would visit Cagayan Valley to personally assess the situation in the region, being one of the most likely affected by the dry spell.
Last month, Marcos ordered government agencies to prepare for the possible impact of the El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to hit the country in the last quarter of 2023 or the first quarter of 2024.
Marcos also instructed various agencies to ensure “protocol-based and scientific” long-term solutions to the impending problem and come up with a campaign to generate public awareness on water and energy conservation.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the probability of the occurrence of El Niño is 80 percent for June, July, and August, and 86 percent for November, December, and January although the country may experience heavy rainfall events before its impact. “We encourage our fellowmen to continue planting trees in their communities to help mitigate the effects of El Niño,” Nograles said.
“Tree planting is an excellent communal activity that has a positive effect, and I hope more local leaders will organize and engage in this activity so that we can restore our country’s greenness,” he added.
Last month, Nograles led the town of Montalban in a tree-planting activity to commemorate the town’s 152nd founding anniversary. Around 4,000 saplings were planted along the Wawa riverbank and mountainside.
More than 6,000 students, senior citizens, and women from the town participated in the activity, which also included the “Forward Nature” advocacy walk.
He underscored the need to “aggressively restore the country’s forest cover” as a measure against El Niño and long-term climate change.
“Our forests serve as a buffer against weather-related disasters. They release moisture into the atmosphere to counter droughts, and shield us against typhoons and prevent flooding,” he said.
Nograles advocates for the government and communities to be active in implementing measures that would protect against climate change.
He regularly leads tree-planting and community-cleaning activities in Montalban.