Speaker Dy leads House El Niño response, pushes national preparedness framework

The House of Representatives is moving early to strengthen the country’s preparedness against the looming effects of El Niño, with Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III urging government agencies to shift from reactive disaster response to proactive planning before the dry spell worsens.

Speaking at the House Committee on Agriculture and Food’s El Niño briefing, the Speaker stressed that the country has already experienced the severe consequences of prolonged drought on agriculture, food supply, and the economy.

“Ito po ay napapanahon sapagkat naranasan na po natin ang matinding epekto ng El Niño sa crop production, food security, at sa ating ekonomiya. From 2023 to 2024, palay production dropped by 12% to 15%, leading to higher rice prices and affecting millions of Filipinos,” said the House chief.

Having witnessed firsthand the impact of El Niño in Isabela—where prolonged dry conditions damaged farmlands, strained irrigation systems, and contributed to fish kills in the Magat Reservoir—Speaker Dy said the experience highlighted the importance of acting before a crisis hits.

He noted that while emergency interventions helped cushion the effects on farmers and fisherfolk, the lessons learned underscored the need for a unified national preparedness framework that enables government to anticipate, rather than merely respond to, future El Niño events.

Drawing from Isabela’s experience, Dy said the province immediately convened an emergency consultation with the Department of Agriculture Region II, the Provincial Government, NIA-MARIIS, the League of Mayors, all city and municipal agriculture officers, and other concerned agencies to coordinate early interventions.

The province also intensified monitoring of Magat Dam’s water levels and worked closely with irrigation managers to plan water releases and project available water supply before conditions worsened.

He added that Isabela prioritized the timely delivery of assistance to farmers and fisherfolk, including fuel subsidies, while advancing longer-term investments in irrigation systems, water-efficient technologies, community-based water management, climate-resilient agriculture, and additional water-harvesting and multipurpose dam projects.

He said these measures showed that early coordination and preparation can significantly reduce the impact of prolonged drought on communities and the country’s food supply.

“Mga kasama, hindi po natin mapipigilan ang tagtuyot o tag-ulan. Ngunit kaya nating bawasan ang magiging pinsala nito kung maagap ang ating paghahanda.”

He said the objective of the congressional briefing is to develop a unified national preparedness framework that local governments and national agencies can adopt before drought conditions worsen.

“Ang layunin po ng briefing na ito ay makabuo tayo ng isang national preparedness framework laban sa El Niño—isang sistema na epektibo, implementable, at magbibigay ng proteksyon sa ating mga kababayan,” Dy said.

“Mahalaga pong maging handa po tayo at huwag na po nating hintayin dumating ang krisis bago umaksyon para sa kapanatagan ng bawat magsasaka at bawat Pilipino.” (RM)