MANILA -- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to revive a presidential task force that would focus on the Philippines' preparedness against the effects of El Niño, which is expected to hit the country in the first half of 2024, several Cabinet members said on Tuesday.

Marcos Jr. will sign an executive order which will reactivate a similar task force formed in 2001, said Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, one of the two chairpersons of the said El Niño panel.

"EO ito para mapaghandaan nang maaga at masolusyunan nang mabilisan ang magiging interventions at patuloy na monitoring at pag-aagap, paghahanda sa maaaring maging epekto ng El Niño," he told Palace reporters.

"This executive order will come out as soon as possible," he said, noting that the government would focus on "water security, food security, energy security, health security and public safety."

• DENR: 'Major problems' ahead if El Niño persists in second half of 2024
• Marcos calls for 'accelerated effort' to prepare for El Niño

Among the short-term interventions that the government would roll out include the fast tracking of permits for "water projects… and infrastructure programs to make more secure our energy supply, particularly for critical infrastructure for standby power," Teodoro said.

"All of these interventions will receive top priority from the government," he added.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology has been tasked to mount an "El Niño platform" which would "be used to collect data for interagency coordination and decision making," the Defense chief said.

"There will be information dissemination and localized distribution of information to affected areas and local government units so appropriate measures can be carried out as necessary," he said.

El Niño — which is expected to start in December 2023 and persist until mid-2024 — will peak in April 2024 and will affect nearly all provinces, said Science and Technology Sec. Renato Solidum.

"Sixty-three provinces will possibly experience drought conditions, while 12 provinces will experience dry spell conditions," he said, citing data from meteorological agencies.

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A dry spell happens when rainfall is below normal for three consecutive months, while a drought is experienced when rainfall is below normal for 5 consecutive months, Solidum explained.

The CARAGA and Davao regions will not be affected during the peak of El Niño as they are on the path of rain clouds at that time of the year, he said.

The effects of El Niño will vary from one area to another depending on the preparedness of local governments and the individual efforts of each household, he said.

• El Nino's back — prepare for drought, hunger and diseases
• Hotter days ahead: 77 pct of PH could experience drought by May 2024

So far, Angat Dam — which supplies water for most parts of Metro Manila — has sufficient supply, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said.

"May supply tayo but we need to produce the water as potable and usable," she said.

"There are also infrastructure na inin-augurate last week… There are investments already that will be on stream," she said, noting that some 50 million liters of water will be available by June 2024.

There will be 2 more water plants in Imus and 2 more in Bacoor by 2025, she said.

"Cavite has had a very advanced approach to water security. They will be bidding out a huge bulk water project," she added.

So far, "743 km of irrigation canals were already approved from our target of 800km," Teodoro said, noting that "small scale irrigation projects are being repaired and rehabilitated."

• Marcos orders agencies to fast-track irrigation projects amid El Niño

Rainwater collection programs in power plants are being done in some provinces, while the government is also addressing right of way issues, he added.

So far, the government has yet to come up with an estimate as to the Philippines' potential losses due to the effect of El Niño, Teodoro said.

"We cannot have a ballpark figure now… The closer we are to the occurrence, the more accurate the models become," he explained.

"Right now it's not really useful to have a ballpark figure… but we have a clear plan of action and of strategy on the pre-onset."

Other national agencies — especially the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and the Department of the Interior and Government, are expected to release more guidelines for their respective sectors soon, the Cabinet members said.

• Drought in 3 provinces by end of December due to El Niño: PAGASA
• Almost 280,000 hectares of farmland vulnerable to El Niño: DA

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