Sixty-five provinces --- or about 77 percent of the country --- will experience drought in May 2024, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said as the government gears up for the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.

DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. talks about the El Niño phenomenon in the Philippines during a media briefing in Malacañang. (RTVM screenshot)

Speaking during a Palace briefing after the sectoral meeting with President Marcos on Tuesday, Dec. 12, the official explained that “moderate to severe drought conditions” will be felt from February to May 2024, and that 65 provinces — about 77 percent of the country --- will have a potential for drought.

Around seven percent—or six provinces—will have potential for “dry spell.”

The official said that “the maximum temperature in Northern Luzon around April or May can be up to 41 degrees centigrade and that would be the actual temperature.”

But he stressed that the heat index—the measure of how hot it actually feels when humidity is factored in—could bring up the temperature by five to 15 more degrees.

In Metro Manila, the DOST official said the forecast is 38.3 degrees, while lowland Luzon can be as high as 39.9 degrees. Mindanao by April would experience 39.5 degrees in temperature.

Solidum admitted that there would be a “strong” indication of El Nino next year, so it’s important to be prepared for it. 

“And because of this, we need to further intensify our efforts to make sure that we are ready for this especially on the various fields that were already mentioned like health, water, agriculture, sanitation and of course, peace and order; and we also need to involve everyone in this effort,” he added.

President Marcos himself also ordered government agencies to coordinate plans to mitigate the impact of the El Niño phenomenon. He specifically made directives on addressing possible issues on water, agriculture, energy, health, security, and education, among others.