Marcos not inclined to declare national state of calamity amid El Niño

President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is not inclined to declare a national state of calamity amid the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. 

In an ambush interview in Bacolod City Monday, Marcos said the effects of the phenomenon could be felt, however, they are not critical.

”Ang katotohanan niyan lahat maaapektuhan, ngayon gaano kalala ang magiging effect ng El Niño… It’s really, ang mga probinsya sa western side na… Western Luzon tapos dito Region 6. So those are the areas na nagde-declare ng calamity but the other areas, although ramdam pa rin, hindi naman critical,” Marcos said.

”As a matter of fact, kasi naglagay nga tayo ng mga dam, patuloy na inaayos ang ating irigasyon, we should and we are trying to find new techniques of planting. We are harvesting more palay now than we are last year, that’s despite the El Niño, so it’s taking effect,” he added. 

The number of local government units that have declared a state of calamity due to the impact of the ongoing El Niño phenomenon is now 18, the Task Force El Niño has said.

In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed the affected LGUs 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
• Zamboanga City

Data from the Department of Agriculture earlier said the damage and losses of the agriculture sector due to the scorching heat has hit more than P2.63 billion.

Presidential Communication Office Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama, task force spokesperson, has said more individual cities and municipalities have signified interest in the declaration but “still need to fulfill the criteria to declare a state of calamity.”—AOL, GMA Integrated News