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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Palace vows to act accordingly amid rising temperatures

Palace vows to act accordingly amid rising temperatures

Published Mar 3, 2025 05:16 am

At A Glance

  • Castro assured the public that the government would not sit idly by.

Malacañang assured the public that it would implement the necessary measures to combat the possible adverse effects of the soaring heat index on agriculture and the economy.

Heat (Santi San Juan)
IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE — Students and their guardians shield themselves from the sun's harsh rays as they walk from school in Quezon City on Monday, March 3, 2025. Several local government units in Metro Manila have cancelled in-person classes due to the extreme heat index forecast today. (Santi San Juan)

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after the state weather bureau PAGASA announced that the heat index in Metro Manila could reach 46 degrees Celsius on March 3 and 4, prompting several local government units to suspend classes.

In a press briefing on Monday, March 3, Castro said key government agencies have already probably met to discuss the possible steps to minimize the effects of the rising temperatures.

"Most probably po hindi pa lang po nababa sa amin 'yung action plans ng DA (Department of Agriculture), DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), DepEd (Department of Education), dahil nga kakabalita pa lang po nito (Most probably the action plans of the DA, DSWD, and the DepEd are yet to be cascaded to us because we have just learned of this)," she said.

"So most probably nag-uusap na po sila at titingnan ko po kung ano ang pinaka-status nito (They're probably already talking about this and I will check on its status)," she added.

Despite this, Castro assured the public that the government would not sit idly by.

"Siyempre po lagi pong maghahanda ang pamahalaan patungkol dito (Of course, the government will always prepare for this)," she said.

"Kung ito po ay makakaapekto sa ekonomiya natin ay tayo po ay laging maghahanda patungkol diyan (If this will affect our economy, we will prepare for it)," she added.

Castro said the concerned agencies, particularly the DA, would promptly address the matter to lessen the heat's impact on the agriculture sector.

"Kung ito po talaga ay nakikita po, nababanaag po ang matinding epekto po, kikilos po talaga agad ang ahensya para po matugunan kung ano man ang magiging problema sa mga susunod na araw nitong napakatinding init na nararamdaman natin (If we see that this will have a big effect, the agencies will act to address whatever problems we will face due to the extreme heat we are experiencing)," she said.

The Department of Health (DOH) has advised the public to take the necessary measures to protect themselves from heat-related illnesses, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and vomiting.

Related Tags

claire castro Presidential Communications Office HEAT INDEX
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