Imee raises alarm over El Niño phenomenon

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

LAOAG CITY — Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos has raised the alarm, urging farmers here to prepare for the advent of the El Niño phenomenon, which is likely to occur until the later part of this year.

To mitigate its impact, the Ilocos Norte government is set to consult with farmer associations here on what is best to be done on this abnormal weather phenomenon.

“Tell us what you need and how we can be of help to you,” said Ms. Marcos citing the need to make a rehabilitation plan to address the impact of abnormal weather.

The governor wants farmers to brace for the weather phenomenon, which is likely to happen after the series of heavy rains that hit the province in the past weeks. Usually, El Niño occurs starting from October to December.

Though there was no typhoon signal in the province for the past few days, heavy rains swamped some parts of the province which caused multi-million-damage to agriculture and infrastructure projects.

The governor also encouraged farmers to come up with alternative source of livelihood such as by engaging in poultry and livestock production.

The province is also planning to allocate some funds for the provision of cash for work to the affected families. She likewise appealed to the Department of Public Works and Highways to hire non-high skilled laborers in areas hardly hit by the bad weather.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), below to near normal rainfall is expected in many parts of the country from July to December.

However, above normal rains are likely to prevail over the western section of Luzon, particularly Zambales, Pampanga and parts of the Ilocos region.

PAGASA also forecast generally near average to slightly warmer than average surface air temperatures over most parts of the country during the outlook period.