MANILA (UPDATE)— President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said his administration has plans in place to ensure the country's agricultural sector could weather the impact of a possible El Niño phenomenon.

"Ngayon inaalala namin ay ang El Niño. Kami po ay gumagawa ng maraming plano upang hindi naman mabawasan ang patubig," he told farmers at an event in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

(We are now thinking of the impending El Niño. We are crafting many plans to ensure that our water supply would not be reduced.)

He earlier ordered the creation of an El Niño unit and told government agencies to prepare for the said phenomenon, as chances of a dry spell continued to increase.

PAGASA said it might issue an El Niño alert by May.

• PAGASA may issue El Niño alert by next month: official
• Marcos orders creation of El Niño unit to mitigate impact

In a separate interview, Marcos stressed the need to ensure the country's water supply to mitigate the effects of El Niño.

He added that the government was looking for ways to "convert our dependence of water supply from underground water to surface water", and one way was to make use of the rainwater and conserve it until needed.

"Ang puno’t dulo talaga ng El Niño ay tubig. At iyan ang pinag-uusapan natin kasi maapektuhan ang agrikultura, ang irigasyon, maapektuhan ang water supply, maapektuhan pati energy supply, lahat iyan," he told former Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo and broadcast journalist Nina Corpuz in an interview.

"Sa ngayon pa lang, eh nararamdaman na natin dahil biglang uminit. Nakita naman natin ang nangyari. Kahit na umuulan eh pababa nang pababa ang mga dam natin, sa Angat, dito sa Maynila, pababa nang pababa," he added.

(El Niño is about water. That is what we are discussing because agriculture, irrigation, and the water supply will be affected. Even the energy supply. Right now, we are already feeling the effects of the hot weather. Even if it rains, our dams continue to record lower water levels.)

The national government, he said, was empowering local government units in installing their own water supply systems.

"Ganun ang approach namin na kailangan na magkaroon ng sapat na supply ng malinis, ligtas na tubig na kahit pag masyadong mahina ang ulan o nagka-El Niño, masyadong mainit ay magkakaroon tayo na, mayroon pa rin tayong water supply," he added.

(That is our approach. That is why we need a water supply that is clean that even if the rain is not enough, we will have it.)

WHAT TO PRIORITIZE?

In case supply becomes insufficient during the dry season, the government would have to identify priority areas for distribution, the President said.

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) earlier said it would prioritize domestic water supply once the water level in Angat dam hits 180 meters — its normal operating level.

Angat dam supplies the majority of water in Metro Manila. According to PAGASA, its water level as of 6 a.m. Monday was at 196.99 meters.

• NWRB appeals to public: Use water correctly amid looming El Niño

"Saan ang uunahin? ‘Yung mga city ba, ‘yung mga agrikultura ba? And again, bawat lugar ay iba. Iba siyempre, ‘yung mga urban communities, ‘yung mga siyudad. ‘Yung freshwater, ‘yung drinking water," he said.|

(What will we put first? The cities or agriculture? Every place is different, even in urban communities.)

The President admitted, however, that predicting the weather nowadays has been a challenge.

To address this, the government is strengthening the capacities of PAGASA and the Department of Science and Technology to provide timely information and warnings.

"So far, nakakahanap naman tayo ng para-paraan na mabawasan ang epekto. Pero mukhang ang nagiging problema natin ay hindi mo maasahan ‘yung weather. Hindi ba kagaya dati, alam natin kung kailan ‘yung tag-ulan, kailan ‘yung typhoon season, kailan ‘yung tag-araw," he said.

(We have found ways how to mitigate the impact of the weather phenomenon for now but the problem is the unpredictable weather, unlike before when we have a clear idea of when the typhoons will hit or when the hot season will arrive.)

PAGASA's climate projections show that El Niño will begin by the third quarter of 2023 or between July and September, and will last until early next year.

El Niño is a weather phenomenon characterized by below-normal rainfall that can lead to dry spells and drought.

DISTRIBUTION OF AID

Meanwhile, Marcos also led the distribution of at least P210 million worth of modern farm equipment and financial aid to different farmers' groups and local governments in Nueva Ecija.

The President also said his administration was prioritizing local crop production, adding that the agriculture sector was among those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

"Naging sentro po ng pagpapaplano... [ang] mag-manufacture tayo ng sarili nating [ani] nang sa ganon ay hindi na tayo kailangang umasa sa importation," Marcos said.

(Our plans have centered on manufacturing our own crops so that we would no longer rely on importation.)

"Nakita naman natin kung anong nangyari noong masyado tayong umaasa sa importation, noong nagkaroon ng lockdown, noong hindi tayo nakapag-import ay nahirapan tayo sa ating food supply. Nagtaasan pa ang mga presyo."

(We saw what happened when we relied too much on importation. When lockdowns were imposed, we were unable to import so our food supply was also affected. Prices also increased.)

"Kailangan mayroon na tayong lokal na sagot sa mga hamon na ating mahaharap sa darating na ilang taon," he added.

(We need to have local answers to the challenges we will be facing in the coming years.)

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— With a report from Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

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