BY DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
Drought linked to El Niño has caused P189.47 million pesos in agricultural damage in Bohol, with rice accounting for nearly all of the losses, according to an initial government report.
The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Information System report, dated Oct. 5, 2026 said 7,035 farmers in 27 of the province’s 48 local government units have been affected.
Assessments in other towns are continuing.
San Miguel was hit hardest, with P53.2 million pesos in damage, almost three times the P18.7 million pesos recorded in Tubigon, the second-worst town.
Batuan followed with P16.1 million pesos, then Inabanga with P12.5 million, Bilar with P10.9 million and Sagbayan with P10.3 million.
Catigbian reported P8 million pesos, Calape P6.9 million, Bien Unido P236,000 and Danao P159,000.
Damage was also recorded in Loboc, Valencia, Jagna and Mabini.
Rice made up 95.09% of the losses, high-value crops 2.87% and corn 2.04%.
No damage to cassava has been reported.
The figures combine partial and total crop losses reported by the towns.
To bring rain to the hardest-hit farmland, cloud seeding operations were scheduled to begin Oct. 9, 2026.
The provincial government is paying P5 million pesos for the first phase, which will last up to 29 hours depending on weather and the presence of suitable clouds.
Denise Solano, director of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, notified Gov. Aris Aumentado of the plan in a letter.
Bureau and Philippine Air Force personnel arrived Oct. 5 for coordination meetings that ran through Oct. 8, and the air force led an orientation for cloud spotters from local governments.
Meanwhile, the National Irrigation Administration said Bohol’s dams still hold enough water for irrigation.
Beverly Joy Pocot-Cadorna, head of the Bohol Integrated Irrigation System, and Evaristo Borja, engineering and operations section chief of the Bohol-Cebu-Siquijor Irrigation Management Office, told media Oct. 7 that earlier rainfall helped fill the large and small dams, which have not been affected by the dry spell.
The Malinao Dam in Pilar and the Bayongan Dam in San Miguel, the province’s largest, supply about 5,000 hectares of rice fields in Pilar, Dagohoy and parts of San Miguel, Ubay and Alicia.
Malinao is designed to send water to Bayongan once its level reaches 151.6 meters above sea level.
Borja said areas served by the Ilaya and Capayas dams in Ubay could still be affected.
The agency is repairing a gate valve, with completion targeted for December. It has also allowed the Ubay Water Services Cooperative to draw water from Capayas Dam for its customers.
The agency urged irrigators’ associations to plant two crops a year or grow vegetables alongside rice to protect food supplies.
EXTREME HEAT IN 2027
The Philippines is bracing for the possible effects of an exceptionally strong El Niño, with forecasters warning of an increased risk of drought, extreme heat and water shortages in the coming months.
The climate phenomenon, which involves unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, is expected to intensify toward the end of 2026 and could persist into the first half of 2027, according to climate forecasts.
The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the developing El Niño could become exceptionally strong, raising concerns about its potential effects on global temperatures and rainfall patterns.
El Niño is associated with shifts in atmospheric circulation that can reduce rainfall in parts of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. Its effects, however, vary by location, and the phenomenon does not guarantee drought in every province.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has warned of the risk of below-normal rainfall, dry spells and drought as the climate pattern develops.
In parts of the Calabarzon region, rainfall deficits could worsen in the coming months, raising concerns about agricultural production and water availability, according to government weather projections.
Reduced rainfall can affect crop yields, deplete reservoirs and increase demand for irrigation.
Prolonged hot conditions can also raise health risks, particularly for outdoor workers, older people and those without reliable access to drinking water.
The electricity sector could face additional pressure if declining water levels constrain hydropower generation while demand for cooling rises during hotter weather.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed government agencies to strengthen preparations and public information efforts ahead of the anticipated effects of El Niño, the Presidential Communications Office reported.
Authorities are monitoring rainfall, water supplies, agricultural conditions and other indicators to help identify areas that may require early intervention.
Forecasters caution that El Niño does not rule out tropical cyclones or episodes of heavy rain in the Philippines. Local conditions will depend on the interaction of the climate phenomenon with other weather systems.
The term “Super El Niño” is commonly used to describe an exceptionally intense event, although it is not a separate official classification universally adopted by meteorological agencies.
The strength, duration and local impacts of the developing event remain subject to updated forecasts.
The coming months will be critical for determining the extent of rainfall shortages and the preparations needed to protect agriculture, water supplies and vulnerable communities.