Several rice and corn fields in the town of Opol, Misamis Oriental are drying up due to the hot weather.

A farmer, Romulo Rabor, said water in the fishpond he put up that serves as water source for his two-hectare rice field in Sitio Bayugbayugan, Bagocboc is subsiding.

He said there has been no rain since November 2023, which forced him to plant corn instead of rice, hoping the crops would survive the hot weather.

However, the rice field cracked three months after sowing corn due to the intense heat.

“Naapektohan lage mi sir tungod sa hulaw kaayo lisod intawon ug unsay malung-ag matag adlaw nalisdan gyud mi ana gyud,” Rabor said.

As alternative, they planted sweet potato as this will not need much water, but they have to water the crop manually to ensure it will flourish.

According to the barangay, almost 60 farmers are affected by the dry spell.

“Almost 60 ka farmers na po ang apektado. May mga mais meron mga gulay sama sa sitaw opo na tinanim,” Barangay Councilwoman Shiela Mag-away said.

Mag-away said the list of farmers affected has already been forwarded to the Municipal Agrictulture Office for possible assistance.

“Bisan mahinabangan lang ko ug igo lang panginabuhian lang sila magbuot ug unsa ilang ikahatag,” Rabor added.

State weather bureau PAGASA said that while the La Niña alert has already been issued, El Niño will still persist in the next few months.

“Atong El Niño, mag persist pa ni hangtod April or May, then mga month of June, mag-transition ta into neutral, then after ana, naa ta’y possibility nga paingon na ta sa La Niña,” PAGASA-DOST-10 Weather Specialist Raul Montilla said.