OCD administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno (PNA file photo)

MANILA – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said it is now starting the implementation phase for interventions to mitigate the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.

“We are in the implementation phase because the situation calls for the immediate execution of the needed interventions. Now, to make the plan more comprehensive and encompassing, we are in discussion with private, local and international organizations,” OCD administrator, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said in a statement Tuesday night.

Part of the government masterplan to counter the impacts of El Niño is to save vulnerable agricultural areas through appropriate water management while irrecoverable areas will be rehabilitated.

Nepomuceno also cited the need to have effective plans to guide all actions and are “inclusive and considerate of the different circumstances” communities that might be affected by the long dry spell.

On Tuesday, the National El Niño team met with several private and international partners to tackle further plans and activities in addressing the impacts of El Niño during a meeting at OCD headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

“We have already published the national action plan that outlines the short, medium, and long term interventions that we tackled in our previous meetings. However, this document is now being updated as we consult with our partner organizations and as the respective departments implement their interventions,” Nepomuceno said.

Agencies such as the departments of Agriculture (DA), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Energy (DOE), Health (DOH) and Interior and Local Government (DILG) presented their plans and activities for the areas of food security, water security, energy security, health, and public safety respectively.

Joining the discussion with government agencies were officers and representatives from the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), Arise Philippines, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) and UN-Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO).

The PDRF said it is implementing interventions in the priority areas or key sectors identified by the government.

One of these is the ongoing collaboration with the DOE in the implementation of the national energy contingency plan to ensure energy security.

Meanwhile, the UN-OCHA and UN-FAO highlighted the support given by the UN humanitarian country team in the previous El Niño experiences, including the distribution of farming equipment to agricultural folk.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration reported that a moderate El Niño is present in the tropical Pacific and will strengthen further in the coming months.

El Niño increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions, which could bring negative impacts, such as droughts, in some areas of the country.

However, over the western part of the country, above-normal rainfall conditions during the southwest monsoon season (habagat) may also be expected.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the creation of a team that will handle the mitigation, preparedness, response and rehabilitation efforts for the El Niño phenomenon. (PNA)