Marcos details El Niño preparations as he urges public to conserve water

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. urged the public to conserve water in preparation for the impact of the El Niño phenomenon as he bared the government's preparedness during his second State of the Nation Address.

With the dry season fast approaching and the agriculture sector at risk, Marcos called for preparedness in the face of the El Niño phenomenon. Besides water conservation, Marcos cited the possibility of implementing cloud seeding operations to ensure sufficient water supply.

"Tayo rin ay naghahanda para sa El Niño na nagbabadyang tumama sa mga darating na buwan. Nagsimula na tayong maghanda ng mga buffer stocks at mga kagamitang patubig. Kung kinakailangan, magsasagawa pa tayo ng cloud-seeding upang makapagdala ng ulan," Marcos said. 

(We are gearing up for the approaching El Niño in the coming months. We have already begun preparations, including ensuring buffer stocks and readying water supply equipment. If needed, cloud seeding operations will be conducted to bring much-needed rain.)

"Kasabay ng lahat ng ito, hinihimok din natin ang ating sambayanan na magtipid ng tubig para sa malawakang paghahanda sa banta ng tagtuyot," he added. 

(In addition to this, we are urging the public to conserve water in preparation for the impending El Niño threat.)

According to the president, water is as important as food as he renewed the call for a cohesive and centralized approach to water management. 

"Considering its fundamental importance, water security deserves our special focus. Our efforts must not be scattershot, but rather, cohesive, centralized, and systematic," Marcos said.

"Given that urgency, we have created the Water Resources Management Office to specifically handle the delicate job involving this most precious resource," he added.

In April, Marcos signed Executive Order 22 creating the Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. 

WRMO was established with the objective of addressing various challenges affecting water resource management in the country, including the fragmented water and sanitation sector, rising water demands driven by population and economic growth, climate change and COVID-19 impacts, inadequate infrastructure, and inconsistent government regulations.

The office will function as an interim body while awaiting the establishment of the Department of Water Resource Management, which Marcos has highlighted as a priority piece of legislation.

Marcos said that the government has allocated P14.6 billion for water supply projects this year, including the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, which are set to increase the supply in the National Capital Region and Rizal province.

He also added that they have installed 6,000 rainwater collection facilities nationwide, in anticipation of the potential impact of El Niño's dry spell.