LGUs prepared to address effects of El Niño, other calamities –LPP

Local government units (LGUs) were ready to address the effects of El Niño and other calamities that could hit the country, the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) said on Friday.

LPP Chairperson and Quirino Governor Dax Cua said the LGUs, through their disaster risk reduction councils, had prepared their protocols and calamity funds to address the needs of their constituents during natural calamities.

“Tulad ng dati, nakahanda ang ating mga LGUs through our disaster risk reduction council mula sa probinsya hanggang sa barangay hanggang sa munisipyo at lungsod lahat po kami established at institutionalized na po ang ating mga councils na andyan na po ang mga protocols at nakahanda na po ang ating calamity fund na tugunan ang mga pangangailangan nito,” Cua said at the public briefing.

(Like before, our LGUs are ready through our disaster risk reduction councils - from the provinces to the barangays to the municipalities and cities. We have all established and institutionalized our councils. The protocols are already there, these are ready, including our calamity funds to address the needs of the people.)

Cua added there there were interventions prepared for the El Niño's effects on agriculture.

“So we will be working with the DA. May mga cloud seeding na pwedeng gawin ng ating pamahalaan to support the farmers, mga irrigation water management protocols na pwede rin gawin,” he said.

(The government could resort to cloud seeding to support the farmers. Furthermore, there were irrigation water management protocols available.)

“Napakahalaga na maaddress natin ang food production ukol sa ganun mastabilize natin ang inflation at syempre may sapat na income ang ating mga farmers,” he added.

(It is important that we address food production to stabilize inflation, and of course, our farmers will have enough income.)

The LPP chairperson said water bottles and other supplies were also being stockpiled in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) and local disaster risk reduction management offices.

He said they would also coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd) to spread information and education campaigns.

Cua emphasized the need for coordination between the LGUs and the national government to implement long term solutions.

Last May 2, state weather bureau PAGASA issued an El Niño alert after forecasters said there was an 80% probability the phenomenon would emerge in the next three months.

The El Niño could last until the first quarter of next year.

The El Niño phenomenon is an abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean with below-normal rainfall.

Meanwhile, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the world needed to prepare for the El Niño, which was beginning to develop increasingly this year.

Last April, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. called for the creation of a team that would focus on mitigating the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. — DVM, GMA Integrated News