PBBM reconvenes meeting on El Niño, gov’t focused, prepared for drought — Palace official

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reconvened Tuesday all key government agencies to focus on ways to mitigate the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on food, water supply, and energy.

“Muling tinipon ngayong umaga ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ang lahat ng mga pangunahing ahensiya ng pamahalaan upang talakayin ang mga paghahanda laban sa El Niño,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a Palace press briefing.

The Palace Press Officer said among those present at the meeting were the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), where steps for the agricultural sector were discussed.

Castro added that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), along with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System MWSS), and Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), focused on effective measures for water management and irrigation.

She noted that the Department of Energy (DOE) focuses on energy and fuel supply, while the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), together with its attached agencies, monitors the dissemination of accurate information on the drought.

Castro assured that the government is on top of the situation, prepared, and keeping a close watch on the weather phenomenon, thus, citizens need not worry.

The Palace official said the President emphasized during Tuesday’s meeting that the government needs to further strengthen the measures already in place to mitigate and address the issue of the drought.

She noted that the government is focused on ensuring the preparedness of hospitals, dams, and farms.

But despite the government’s readiness, everyone’s cooperation is still needed, said Castro.

Castro also emphasized that the President is taking seriously what is happening now and what will happen in the coming months, stressing that the discussion, message, suggestion, and lesson provided by the government and the President must be taken seriously. | PND