Marcos affirms gov't ready for La Niña

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. assured the public on Monday that the government was ready to address the possible effects of La Niña in the coming months. 

''Ongoing naman iyan eh. There’s no need to do anything special. We are already doing everything that we can do to prepare for, well, another El Niño and the La Niña that we are anticipating will come,'' Marcos said in an ambush interview in Tacloban City.

Nevertheless, Marcos said that a long-term flood control solution was needed to address the effects of the La Niña. 

''Whatever we give every time there’s flooding hindi naman… it is something that we have to learn how to live with already. So, it’s almost normal so naka-ready naman kami. But of course, the long term, ang talagang solusyon d’yan is yung flood control,'' Marcos said. 

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. had directed the government’s Task Force El Niño to start preparations for the possible onset of the La Niña next month. 

Weather bureau PAGASA said the La Niña may develop during the June-July-August season.

La Nina is characterized by unusually cooler than average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (CEEP).

The climate pattern is usually associated with above normal rainfall conditions. Its potential adverse impacts include floods and landslide in vulnerable areas. — DVM, GMA Integrated News