A DRIVER drinks water to cool off amid the scorching heat in downtown Davao City. (Keith Bacongco)
DAVAO CITY – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Davao region is preparing for the possible adverse impacts of the El Niño phenomenon.
The region is under El Niño alert and OCD-Davao chief Ednar Dayanghirang said they have now shifted from monitoring to initiating early response measures to prepare for the impact on key sectors.
Dayanghirang said preparations are expected to focus on agriculture, water resources, public health, and fire prevention.
He added that the El Niño watch stage ended on April 22 and they are now alert status following an advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration.
PAGASA has raised its El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Alert and Warning System to El Niño alert, the second-highest of a three-tier classification system, signaling an increased likelihood of El Niño development in the next two to three months, or from June to August.
The State weather bureau added that under El Niño conditions, there is an increased possibility of drier-than-usual conditions that could adversely result in droughts and dry spells in some parts of the country.
“Right now, our early actions from both the government and private sector have already started because we are already under alert status,” Dayanghirang said. “The government must prepare funds to support this kind of forthcoming disaster.”
The OCD official outlined priority concerns such as potential crop losses, declining water supply, heat-related health risks, and increased fire incidents due to prolonged dry conditions.
Dayanghirang said that they are awaiting directives from the central office, including approval from the President and a resolution from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) that will enable the release and use of funds for what could evolve into a “complex disaster” scenario involving El Niño and possible energy constraints.
While the region is experiencing warm weather, he said that the country is still technically under the normal dry season and not yet in a full El Niño condition.
Dayanghirang acknowledged that his office has received reports of damages on agricultural crops.
He said that they have advised local government units to realign budgets toward urgent needs as well as deprioritizing non-essential expenditures.
The provinces of Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur and this city are among 31 areas in the country experiencing dry spell.