President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has urged the public to contribute, in any way they can, in the conservation of energy and water amid the looming power and water supply crisis in the country.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (BBM Vlog Screenshot))
Marcos talked about the impacts El Nino and climate change pose to the lives of Filipinos, health, manufacturing, and agriculture in his vlog.
These prompted him to call on Filipinos to conserve both energy and water during the dry season.
"Kasabay ng pagparami ng supply ay samahan na rin natin ng pagtitipid, hindi man sa mga aircon o electric fan, may ilan tayong mga appliance o electronics na maaari naman nating bawasan ang paggamit para makatulong sa layunin gaya na lamang ng ginagawa natin noong nakaraang earth hour (Along with the efforts to increase supply, let's also save, perhaps not in using aircon or electric fan, but in other appliances or electronics which we can reduce the consumption in order to contribute to the objective like what we do during earth hour)," Marcos said in his vlog on Saturday.
The President also appealed to the local government units to help mitigate the impact of El Niño by saving water at home, at carwash establishments, golf courses, and in refilling swimming pools.
These efforts, he said, are expected to contribute to the government's effort to maintain the country's supply.
In his vlog, Marcos discussed the various effects of El Niño in the country such as the rising heat index in the country, which has reached 49 degrees Celsius as of May 20.
Due to this, he said, power consumption and demand are higher than the country's supply.
"Ang lahat ay lumaki ang konsumo para maging mas maginhiwa naman sa init na ito. Kasama diyan ang problema ng mga nasisirang electric plant kung kaya't ang energy requirement natin ay hindi talag tumutugma sa supply na meron tayo (In order to get relief from the heat, consumptions are increasing, including the damaged electric plant that's why our energy requirement does not match with the supply that we have)," Marcos explained.
The President further said that water supply in the country was also at risk due to El Niño.
He said while water demand increases, the country's water supply was not increasing. He linked this to the 35 percent decreased rainfall during the season.
He assured the public that the government was working on projects that will mitigate these climate change impacts.