President Ferdinand Marcos told farmers and fisherfolk in Albay on Friday to use all government assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
“All I ask from our beneficiaries is that you make the most of this opportunity to rise up and start again,” President Marcos said in his keynote address.
“Just know that I support all the ways that can help you be productive and your government. Let’s help each other, and we will all rise up together,” he added.
Along with the Department of Science and Technology, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Friday declared the end of El Niño. This means the conditions in the tropical Pacific have returned to El Niño Southern Oscillation-neutral levels.
The assistance to El Niño-hit communities included agricultural equipment and supplies from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its affiliated agencies, such as open-source pumping sets, a cassava granulator, hybrid seeds, various fertilizers, and tractors from the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources also provided fishing boats and gillnets for the beneficiaries. Inbred certified seeds from the Philippine Rice Research Institute were also handed out.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provided P10,000 each to 5,000 beneficiaries as House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s office distributed five kilograms of rice per attendee. Additionally, the Office of the President (OP) extended P40,000 to 40 beneficiaries and around PhP100 million to the Provincial Governments of Albay, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon.
This comprehensive assistance program underscores the government’s commitment to supporting communities struck by El Niño, aiming to bolster agricultural productivity and food security in the region.
PAGASA said the transition from ENSO-neutral to La Niña remains likely at 69 percent by July, August or September 2024.
“With these developments, the final advisory for El Niño (2023-2024) is issued, and the Pagasa ENSO Alert and Warning System is now lowered to inactive (ENSO-neutral), while the La Niña Watch remains in effect,” the weather bureau said.
Despite the termination of El Niño and the prevailing southwest monsoon, the impacts of El Niño, such as warmer-than-usual surface temperature and below-normal rainfall, may still continue in several areas of the country,” it added.
All concerned government agencies and the general public are encouraged to monitor and take precautionary measures against the impending climate impacts, Pagasa administrator Dr. Nathaniel Servando said.
