The extreme heat, which has started to destroy crops, has worried farmers in General Santos City.

In Barangay San Jose, an asparagus farmer, Jhonel Cuico, said he chose to continue farming despite the intense weather in order to sustain his income.

“Para sa amoa, wala man pud magpatrabaho kung wala man pud sila ma-harvest. Nabalaka ra ba sir ba kay kana lang ang gisaligan ang pangguna,” Cuico said.

Cuico added that the biggest challenge is crops wilting due to the scorching heat.

State weather bureau PAGASA has announced a 79 percent chance of El Niño this year. PAGASA said El Niño may start between June and August.

“Napakalaki ang chance na posibleng magsimula ito by the month of June, July, and August,” PAGASA-12 GenSan-Sarangani Chief Meteorological Officer, Engr. Jaymar Artigas, said.

A cooperative leader also expressed concerns over water shortages as irrigation scheduling has already been implemented due to declining water levels in nearby streams.

“Mao gyud nay kinabalak an namu kung mutaas ang El Niño kay ang halos pangin-come namu diri uma ra gyud. Naa man mi irrigation kung  mutaas ang El niño, dili pud ka cope -up ang irrigation kay ang sapa muhinay man pud,” Vineyard Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative Chairman, Alejandro Gansayan, said.

Farmers are worried that prolonged drought could affect their harvest and livelihood severely as most of their income depends on farming.

Authorities urged the agriculture sector to brace for the potential impacts of El Niño in the coming months.

“’Yun yung dapat paghandaan pa sa susunod na mga buwan at mostly likely, lalo na yung agriculture sector, although meron naman silang programa para ibahagi sa mga kababayan na posibleng maapektuhan,” Artigas said.