Reelectionist Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has called on President Duterte to hold a no-nonsense water summit as the country struggles with the negative effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
Ejercito noted that the country’s dams continue to be depleted due to the worsening hot weather and is already threatening the country’s food and water security.
The senator made the call after the Department of Agriculture reported that agricultural losses have exceeded P5 billion while Cebu, Zamboanga Sibugay, and North Cotabato have been placed under the state of calamity due to the lingering drought.
“The President can set the tone of the water summit to be straightforward and practical because of the urgency of the situation,” Ejercito said in a statement.
The lawmaker noted that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration have already projected that the El Niño phenomenon could stretch up until August.
Thus, he said, the damage to agriculture could go higher and more provinces may declare themselves to be under the state of calamity if such forecasts come true.
“The agriculture sector is a significant contributor in the country’s Gross Domestic Product, and employs over a fourth of the workforce,” Ejercito pointed out.
“When we talk about the climate, we have to take into account the uncertainty in making plans. These unexpected changes in weather patterns are what we should be preparing for,” said the lawmaker.
Ejercito also said a summit would allow all government agencies and local government units as well as private stakeholders to coordinate their plans to allow authorities to act swiftly on the depleting water resources while preventing wastage of resources and duplication of actions. (Hannah Torregoza)
