MANILA — The effects of El Niño in the Philippines could linger until June as thousands of hectares of crops have so far been damaged by the drought, an official said Thursday.

Task Force El Niño spokesperson Joey Villarama also told ANC that they expect more provinces would be affected by the prevailing El Niño in the coming months.

Currently, 51 out of 82 provinces have reported varying degrees of damage to crops due to a lack of rain.

"We expect the number of provinces that will be affected to hit about 82 before it goes down again to certain low levels," Villarama said.

He said that the government is making efforts to lessen the impact of El Niño and ensure that it does not affect the food supply in the long run.

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—ANC, Feb. 29, 2024