No nationwide state of calamity over El Niño - Marcos

While all regions in the country have been hit by the dry spell due to El Niño, the government is not looking at placing the entire country under a state of calamity yet, President Marcos said yesterday.

- HELEN FLORES

Speaking to reporters in Bacolod City, Marcos said the whole Philippines is expected to experience the impact of the warmer and drier conditions, but in varying intensities.

Marcos, recognizing that the problem is already being experienced in several areas, pointed out that the government must implement multiple responses.

“It (government’s response) shouldn’t be just a shotgun, one size fits all. So we look at each area and see what it is that they need. So that’s what we are, that’s the way we are handling the local state of calamity that the local governments are declaring,” he said.

“The truth is, everyone is affected,” he added, noting that those in the western side of the country were the ones badly hit by El Niño. “But the other areas, although they are affected, they’re not that critical.”

The government, Marcos said, is carrying out different approaches in addressing the effects of El Niño, which is expected to persist until May, including the construction of more dams, improvement of irrigation system and use of new planting techniques.

Around 80 provinces are expected to be hit by the dry spell by the end of April, according to the Task Force El Niño. Cebu and Zamboanga cities have already declared a water crisis due to the effects of El Niño.