CEBU, Philippines — The country’s “El Nino team” had been reconstituted in response to the president’s directive to implement a “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-nation” approach against the El Nino phenomenon.
The “El Niño team” will be led by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) with other member-agencies, said Defense Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr., in his three-page report.
The team is tasked to implement measures to mitigate the impact of El Niño on the country’s economy, natural resources, environment, climate change, disaster response, and peace and order.
Galvez also added the reconstituted team is in consonance with the president’s directive of reviving the existing protocols and Task Force for El Niño as he emphasized that the current Expanded Roadmap for Addressing the Impact of El Niño (E-RAIN) will also be updated and enhanced.
An issuance of a resolution indicating the adoption of the existing E-RAIN framework is recommended, and, if needed, a creation of a Technical Working Group is also suggested.
“The monitoring of resources, the recommendations of the concerned agencies and the strategies employed by the previous administrations shall be taken as inputs to enhance the E-RAIN framework,” Galvez said.
Galvez also stressed that the team has agreed to update and improve the E-RAIN, specifically the areas of concern such as food security, water security, energy security, health and public safety.
The team has agreed to continue the existing structure of the El Niño Task Force as stated under EO No. 16 series of 2001 as amended by Memorandum No. 38, series of 2019, to include the local government units.
The local officials, on the other hand, will work closely with other offices and gather the necessary data to be consolidated by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) while private sectors and other organizations must be involved with the adaptation of a “whole-of-nation” approach.
As part of the government’s efforts to address the possible impact of El Niño, Galvez said he will visit Cagayan Valley to personally assess the situation in the region being one of the most likely affected by the dry spell.
Last month, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the probability of the occurrence of El Nino is 80 percent for the months of June, July, and August, and 86 percent for the months of November, December and January although the country may experience heavy rainfall events prior to its impact.
No animal death due to heat
Meanwhile, the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries has not recorded any livestock deaths due to extreme heat.
DVMF Head, Dr. Jessica Maribojoc, said they have not yet received any report from the 80 barangays in the city that have lost their livestock due to the intense heat.
Maribojoc added they have livestock inspectors who conduct roving in the mountain barangays of the city to check the condition of livestock.
Maribojoc, urged those who raise animals not to hesitate to approach their office if there is an abnormal condition of their pets.
The DVMF will also continue to communicate with village officials to inquire if there are any problems that have arisen in their respective areas of responsibility. — Rowena D. Capistrano (FREEMAN)