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The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday assured the public that the government has come up with measures to cushion the possible effects of the El Nino phenomenon or the long dry spell on the agriculture sector.

In a press briefing at Malacanang, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) acting chief Eduardo Guillen said they have formulated short-, medium-, and long-term solutions to the impending drought to hit the country in the next months.

“In fact, mayroon po kami iyong tinatawag na cropping calendar na kung saan pinaplano po namin kung ilan ba talaga iyong mapatubigan. And dito, pina-prioritize po natin iyong mga areas na malapit sa source para sa rice planting,” Guillen told reporters.

“In close coordination po dito sa DA (Department of Agriculture), para mabawi natin iyong kakulangan doon sa ating area na matataniman, kapag dry season, magko-concentrate po kami sa hybrid, hybrid rice, kasi talagang times two po iyong output nito kapag dry season,” the NIA official added.

For planting areas that are located far from the source of water irrigation, Guillen said the NIA has advised farmers to concentrate on high-value crops.

“Ang maganda po kasi sa NIA, mayroon kami nung tinatawag na institutional development division, so direct po ang aming link sa ating mga farmers. Alam po ng NIA iyong precise na area, iyong natataniman. Alam po namin iyong specific needs ng ating mga farmers,” he said.

“Ang gusto ng Pangulo natin po ay maiparating sa ating mga farmers iyong tama at napapanahon na assistance kasi like in the case of hybrid rice. Alam po naman natin na mahal iyong inputs diyan,” Guillen said, adding that the earlier farmers get the government subsidy, the better.

For a long-term solution, Guillen said the President wants a convergence effort between NIA and the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to address the challenge of managing the country’s water resource, especially during the rainy season.

“Pwede kasi nating dagdagan iyong pondo ng NIA; pangalawa, makikipagtulungan iyong ibang agencies like DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways). Paradigm shift, sabi nga ng ating Pangulo. Paradigm shift tayo from flood control to water management,” Guillen said.

“Ang pinakamabisa po kasi na flood control project is water management. So ito iyong pag-construct po ng mga impounding dams, small river impounding projects. And in the case naman po ng NIA, kapag mag-construct kami ng high dams, ano po, eh baka pwede na rin nating tingnan,” the NIA official added.

Marcos called a sectoral meeting on Tuesday, attended by the officials of the DA, Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Health (DOH), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), National Water Resources Board (NWRB), and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems (MWSS), to tackle ways of countering the effects of El Nino via a whole-of-government approach.

In February, the chief executive approved the creation of a Water Resource Management Office (WRMO) to manage the country’s water resources and respond to the current environmental challenges.

The WRMO, which will be under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, will be a transitory body pending the creation of the Department of Water Resources.

Its main functions include formulating and ensuring the implementation of the Integrated Water Management Plan, which will integrate various plans of different agencies. Presidential News Desk