Marcos wants public safety ensured amid El Niño
At A Glance
- Marcos ordered the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) to work closely with the Department of Tourism (DOT) regarding the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on tourist areas, specifically addressing issues related to water availability, energy resources, public health, and safety concerns.
President Marcos has ordered a whole-of-nation approach to ensure public safety as the country experiences extreme heat due to the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, Malacañang said.

Malacañang's announcement came after state weather bureau Pagasa reported that five areas in the country might experience a dangerous heat index of 42ºC this week.
In a statement, the Palace said Marcos directed the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on March 19 to coordinate with the Department of Health (DOH) to assess and implement requisite measures to ensure the safety of health facilities or hospitals from the threat of fire hazards.
He ordered the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) to work closely with the Department of Tourism (DOT) regarding the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on tourist areas, specifically addressing issues related to water availability, energy resources, public health, and safety concerns.
The President told the Department of Agriculture (DA) to coordinate with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) to assess any regulation barriers imposed by the insurance commission to ensure that prompt financial aid reaches affected farmers.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-National Water Resources Board (NWRB) was tasked to collaborate with the OCD to gather data on both water oversupply and undersupply situations.
They are also ordered to devise engineering solutions that alleviate the need for extreme water conservation measures and raise public awareness of the importance of constructing additional dams in mitigating the challenges posed by El Niño.
In March, the Task Force El Niño assured the public that mitigation efforts to cushion the impact of La Niña will be put in place even as the country is still dealing with the effects of the ongoing dry spell.