THE government is ready for the negative effects of the El Niño phenomenon on the economy, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) assured the public on Saturday.
Speaking at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said, however, that the impact of the long-dry spell this year, particularly on inflation, was not expected to be significant but might be felt starting in 2024.
"Its impact really depends on how well we prepare for it. The people already know how to deal with it with help from government agencies," she said.
Edillon gave the assurance even as temperatures continue to soar, with the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) projecting that the heat index could reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius and water levels in dams threatening to dry up in the absence of rain.
Angat in Norzagaray, Bulacan, a major source of water supply in Metro Manila and of hydroelectric power plants, recorded 179.99 meters on Saturday, dropping further from its low normal of 180 meters. Its high normal is 210 meters, according to Pagasa.
San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, the largest in the country, also registered a drop to 236.85 meters from 237 meters on Friday. Its high normal is 280 meters.
Edillon said, however, that the reduction of the allocation for irrigation water in favor of residential use at Angat Dam would help ease the effects of the El Nino.
She said that the planting season had ended, eliminating the need for irrigation water at this point.
Frequent rainfall is experienced nationwide, and it should be taken advantage of, such as by accelerating the completion of small impounding water projects, Edillon said.
"So, again, it is not expected to occur this year. But if there's an impact for next year, that really depends on how we're able to prepare this year," she said.
The NEDA official said that financial assistance would also come once it was needed.
"As we see it, preparations are going well. The actions of the government seem to be going well," she said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered government agencies to prepare for the possible impact of El Niño, ensure "protocol-based and scientific" long-term solutions, and come up with a campaign to generate public awareness of water and energy conservation.
For one, the Department of Agriculture is mapping out the areas that could be negatively affected by the dry spell, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development has stockpiled food and non-food items, ready to be augmented by local government units.
Full impact
Pagasa said the country has yet to feel the full effects of El Niño, which is likely to persist until the first quarter of 2024.
It said that El Niño increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions, which could result in dry spells and droughts in some areas of the country.
The bureau predicts that 36 provinces "will potentially experience dry spells" or below-normal rainfall conditions for three consecutive months, starting December, mostly in the Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) regions, Metro Manila, and Spratly Islands, all in Luzon; and the provinces of Antique, Guimaras, Iloilo and Leyte in the Visayas.
Soaring temperatures
Meanwhile, Pagasa warned that the heat index in Metro Manila could reach as high as 40 C and warned the public to take the necessary precautions, such as keeping covered when under the sun and drinking lots of water.
The heat index, as defined by Pagasa, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with air temperature.
The state weather bureau said some areas in Central Luzon, Ilocos Region, Cagayan and Tuguegarao City are also likely to have high temperatures, especially in Tuguegarao, where a maximum of 36 C has been recorded.
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