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We should impound rainwater as a way to help mitigate the effects of El Niño, Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda said.

Salceda floated this suggestion even as many parts of the country, including his home region of Bicol, continue to grapple with the worsened dry season.

"In the instances where it is available, we should be able to impound water. Farmers with on-farm reservoir systems tend to endure El Niño better – not to mention providing additional opportunities in fish production," the veteran solon said in a statement Friday, April 5.

"That also makes them less reliant on large-scale irrigation projects, which, while optimal, tend to take years to complete," he said.

"We will still see some rain – so we should impound that. The worst droughts will be in May, with the hardest-hit regions being Central Luzon and Bicol. But models suggest that El Nino will taper off in June," noted Salceda, an economist.

He said that as per the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), rainfall shouldn’t actually be catastrophically below normal for April. This presents an opportunity to collect or harvest the rainwater.

Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, cited the need to address the fragility of the country’s food systems over the long term.

"President Marcos has been clocking in very strong rice harvest figures–and recorded the biggest harvest in history in 2023.

"The path forward with rice is to address pre-harvest costs and post-harvest losses, while making the system more resilient from trade shocks and adverse climate conditions," he said.