Marcos rules out placing country under state of calamity over El Niño impact

President Marcos said there was no need to declare a nationwide state of calamity amid the negative effects of the El Niño phenomenon.

While he underscored the widespread effects of the dry spell, Mr. Marcos said he would let local government units decide on declaring a state of calamity in their region.

“Hindi naman pwede shotgun lang, parang one size fits all. So we look at each area and see what it is that they need. So that’s the way we are handling the local states of calamity that the local governments have declared,” the President said during a media interview in Bacolod City,

“Actually, ang katotohanan niyan, lahat maapektuhan. Kahit gaano kalala ang magiging effect ng El Niño,” he added.

At least 18 LGUs have declared a state of calamity due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon, the latest report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed.

These are as follows: 11 towns in the province of Occidental Mindoro; Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro; Mandalay, Oriental Mindoro; San Vicente, Palawan; San Andres, Romblon; Mayoyao, Ifugao; Sinaloa, Antique; and Zamboanga City.

Data from the Department of Agriculture earlier put the damage and losses of the agriculture sector at over P2.63 billion.

Despite the challenges posed by El Niño, President Marcos highlighted the government’s proactive measures to mitigate its impacts, particularly in agricultural areas.

He underscored efforts to improve irrigation systems, implement new planting techniques, and construct dams to bolster agricultural production.

“But the other areas, although ramdam pa rin, hindi naman critical. As a matter of fact, kasi naglagay nga tayo ng mga dam. Patuloy nating inayos ang ating irigasyon, and we are trying new techniques of planting. We are harvesting more palay now than we did last year despite the El Niño,” he said.

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