Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Sunday placed all field offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on alert for forest fires as the country braces for the impact of an El Niño episode.
He also ordered the executive directors of 16 regional offices to conduct a region-wide assessment and update of their forest protection plans in anticipation of an El Niño-induced drought, which could increase the risk of wild fires.
“Our teams should always be ready for deployment to suppress incidents of outbreaks, particularly grassfires, to prevent them from crossing over to forested areas and turn into full-blown forest fires,” he said.
Field officials have been ordered to give priority to vulnerable sites inside protected areas and those that have been rehabilitated under the enhanced national greening program.
Provincial and city environment and natural resources officers, meanwhile, are to step up their information campaign and coordinate with local government officials down to the barangay level to heighten community awareness and vigilance on preventing or fighting forest fires.
On Feb. 20, a forest fire razed around 125 hectares of sloping forestland being rehabilitated by the Philex Mining Co. in Itogon, Benguet.
At least five Philex forestry workers perished in the 21-hour forest fire.
Also on Sunday, Leyte Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez urged government agencies to map out plans to mitigate El Niño’s impact on agriculture and power.
She cited the need to consider loans to the affected farmers, even as she expressed alarm over the possible energy shortage once water supply in major dams in Luzon, particularly Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan, drops due to reduced rainfall.