Iloilo city: The Western Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC 6) has reactivated its El Ni±o Team to enhance coordination, monitoring, preparedness, response, and mitigation measures among member agencies and stakeholders in the region.
According to Philippines News Agency, RDRRMC 6 Chairperson and Civil Defense Regional Director Raul Fernandez, in Memorandum No. 40, instructed all member agencies and stakeholders to develop and submit their respective El Ni±o Action Plans. These plans are expected to outline agency-specific programs, projects, activities, interventions, target beneficiaries, implementation timelines, funding requirements, and focal persons. Fernandez emphasized the importance of the task force in consolidating diverse tasks and fostering collaboration among agencies.
The action plans will form the foundation for the Regional El Ni±o Comprehensive Integrated Action Plans and will facilitate ongoing assessment of response, preparedness, and mitigation strategies employed by member agencies. Initially activated in 2023, the team was deactivated after the El Ni±o event concluded, but it has now been reactivated due to the looming threat of another significant event.
The team is spearheaded by the Department of the Interior Local Government (DILG), acting as the Vice-Chair for Disaster Preparedness, and the Office of Civil Defense, serving as the Implementing Arm of the RDRRMC. It encompasses five critical sectors: food security, water security, energy security, health security, and public safety, each tasked with executing mitigation efforts and implementing sector-specific actions and plans.
Fernandez expressed concerns that the anticipated El Ni±o could have a comparable or even more severe impact than the 2023-2024 event due to its projected strength. He noted that the effects are expected to manifest in October and November, urging local government units to prepare and capitalize on the brief period of rainfall to store water amid the anticipated shortages.
In 2023, the El Ni±o phenomenon resulted in over PHP1.71 billion in agricultural losses, affecting 33,435.13 hectares of crops and impacting 41,673 farmers and fisherfolk.
