Noting how the Philippines is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, President Marcos has assured Filipinos that the government is preparing for the impact of the harsh rains brought about by the La Niña phenomenon.

Marcos said this as he delivered his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22.

"Ngayon, sa pag-pihit ng panahon, ang hagupit ng La Niña at mga matinding pag-ulan naman ang ating binabantayan at pinaghahandaan (With climate change, we are monitoring and preparing for the effects of La Niña and the heavy rains it will bring)," he said in his speech.

In the past two years, the President said nearly 100 evacuation centers have already been built. Meanwhile, in January of this year, the government started the operations of the Disaster Response Command Center, which shall serve as the central hub for the government’s disaster response efforts.

In addition, 5,500 flood control projects have already been completed while more are ongoing construction across the country.

On the other hand, Marcos said that the government has distributed cash insurance to protect the farmers whose crops were severely damaged by the extreme heat.  

With the LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished) projects, the government has started constructing modern water reservoirs to prepare and protect farmers from the impact of drought.

These two projects aim to help poor and vulnerable families mitigate the impact of food insecurity and water scarcity brought about by El Niño.