PREPARATIONS. Antique Provincial Board Member Pio Jessielito Sumande, Sr. on Monday ( May 8, 2023) sponsored a resolution calling for the creation of a task force in preparation for the El Niño phenomenon. He said that Antique stakeholders will convene on May 16 to come up with a contingency plan that will be implemented by the task force. (Photo courtesy of the Office of SP Pio Jessielito Sumande, Sr.)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVSITA, Antique – Concerned national and provincial government offices in Antique will convene on May 16 to craft a contingency plan in preparation for the El Niño phenomenon.
The gathering will be done ahead of the creation of the Task Force El Niño which will oversee the implementation of the plan in the province.
"We will convene the stakeholders in order to come up with a concrete plan in addressing the El Nino. There are barangays in the southern part of Antique that are now experiencing scarcity of potable water," said Board Member Pio Jessielito Sumande, Sr, in an interview on Wednesday.
Invited during the stakeholders' meeting are heads of the Department of Health, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Office of the Provincial Agriculture.
The contingency plan will be presented to Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao for its implementation through the task force.
Sumande, during their regular session on Monday, has sponsored a resolution calling for the creation of the task force in his capacity as chairperson of the committee on environment and natural resources.
The board member, citing a report from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said there is “increased likelihood for the country to transition to El Niño or warm weather pattern between July to September and that may persist until 2024.”
The drought is expected to impact particularly on agriculture and fishing industry, he added.
“The crop and fish production could be affected by the El Niño because of the disruption on the normal weather pattern,” Sumande said. (PNA)
