(Eagle News)–President Bongbong Marcos has reactivated Task Force El Niño to ensure the country’s readiness to fight the effects of the climate phenomenon.
The reactivation was formalized via Executive Order No. 53 issued on January 19 and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
Under the EO, the task force is reactivated under the Office of the President.
It will be chaired by the Secretary of the Department of National Defense and co-chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology.
Among the members are the Secretaries of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and the National Economic and Development Authority.
The Office of Civil Defense, meanwhile, shall provide administrative and technical support.
Among the responsibilities of the task force are the revision and updating of the Strategic El Niño National Action Plan, monitoring of the implementation of short and long-term solutions and programs identified in the plan, and the coordination with all concerned agencies in expediting the completion of all ongoing water infrastructure projects aimed at cushioning or mitigating the impacts of the dry spell.
According to the EO, these are to be done not later than the end of April 2024.
The task force is also tasked to coordinate with the Presidential Communications Office for the conduct of a massive information campaign on the El Niño phenomenon and to establish the El Niño Online Platform, a centralized repository for a wide range of data, research, and information concerning the phenomenon.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has said that based on global climate models, El Niño will likely persist until the second quarter of 2024.