Task Force: 'Critical' El Niño to affect 76 provinces in next three months
By Raymund Antonio and Raymund Antonio
The El Niño phenomenon in the country is expected to impact up to 76 provinces in the next three months as Task Force El Niño spokesman Joey Villarama warned the impending summer season would exacerbate its effects.
(Photo courtesy of Department of Agriculture-PhilRice)
During the Bagong Pilipinas briefing, the official disclosed that the next three months would be “critical.”
“So, may tatlong buwan pa po tayong bubunuin (So, we still have the next three months to work on),” Villarama said.
“Hindi po tayo puwedeng maging kampante sa ngayon kasi papasok din naman iyong summer season; hindi pa po dinideklara officially kahit nararanasan na natin iyong init (We cannot be complacent because the summer season is coming; though it hasn’t been declared officially yet, we’re already feeling the heat),” he added.
Citing recent records from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Villarama shared that some 76 provinces would be impacted by El Niño “in varying degrees in the next three months.”
As of the latest report by Task Force El Niño, some 67 provinces are currently experiencing the effects—dry spell, dry condition, and drought—of El Niño.
Of that number, 30 provinces are experiencing drought.
He also divulged that Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 6, 9, and 12 are the most affected by El Niño.
Six towns—three in Occidental Mindoro, two in Oriental Mindoro, and one in Zamboanga City—have also declared a State of Calamity, with another one in Albay expected to declare soon, Villarama said, citing a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) report.
“So, hindi po tayo dapat maging kampante, bagkus dapat tayo ay maging handa at maging listo at dapat po tayo ay patuloy na magtipid given the limited resources we have para po malampasan po natin iyong pinakamatindi na puwedeng maidulot ng El Niño phenomenon (So, we shouldn’t be complacent. Instead, we need to be ready and prepared and we need to conserve given the limited resources we have so we can survive the worst impact of the El Niño phenomenon),” the official added.
However, he assured that the government is working to aid those affected by El Niño through a multi-pronged approach of prevention, intervention, and mitigation.