Negros Oriental Prepares for El Niño with Comprehensive Action Plan

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental – In response to the escalating dry spell associated with El Niño, Negros Oriental has directed government agencies, utility companies, and other stakeholders to incorporate rehabilitation and post-El Niño interventions into their mitigation and response strategies. This initiative aims to address the immediate and long-term impacts of the climatic phenomenon on the province.

According to Philippines News Agency, the executive director of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), a comprehensive provincial action plan is being developed. This plan will be aligned with the national action plan but will also include localized innovations. The move comes as the province braces for the ongoing dry spell to intensify, potentially affecting various sectors, particularly agriculture.

Governor Manuel Sagarbarria has authorized the convening of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDDRMC) in the first week of February. The council, chaired by the governor, is composed of key government offices, agencies, and partner stakeholders responsible for formulating a holistic disaster risk reduction plan. The PDRRMO, under Sedillo’s guidance, will implement this plan, focusing on the consolidation of individual contingency plans from each agency, including water and power utilities.

Key agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, the National Irrigation Administration, and the National Food Authority have already outlined their mitigation and response action plans. Sedillo emphasized the importance of including rehabilitation and other post-El Niño programs in these plans to assist farmers and those affected by the dry spell in recovering their losses.

The weather bureau in Negros Oriental has forecasted that the current dry spell may extend through the second quarter of this year, with a potential drought due to insufficient rainfall in the province. In anticipation of these challenges, Governor Sagarbarria is expected to issue an executive order to create the Provincial Task Force El Niño. This task force will be a direct response to the executive order from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., aiming to coordinate and enhance the province’s preparedness and response efforts to the El Niño phenomenon.