CARTOON BY: AARON PAUL C. CARIL
EDITORIAL
El Niño Is Here. Where Is the Plan?
Is the Philippines prepared for El Niño? Prepared for what, exactly? PAGASA’s November 4 update says a very strong El Niño is already present in the tropical Pacific and is expected to persist through the first half of 2027, possibly peaking before this year ends. The question now is not whether government has drawn up a plan. It is whether that plan has reached the communities that need it.
To be fair, government has announced more than general assurances. A September 30 Palace report lists the use of groundwater maps, solar-powered pumps, mobile pumps, rehabilitation of old irrigation pumps, and clearing of canals. The Department of Agriculture is assessing irrigation, promoting drought-resistant crops, considering changes to planting schedules, and preparing assistance for farmers and fisherfolk. These are concrete measures worth pursuing. But a pump scheduled for deployment is not yet a pump bringing water to a field. We need to know which measures are working, where, and for whom.
Here in Bohol, the questions should be practical. Which communities have alternative water sources they can use? What storage, conservation, and emergency delivery arrangements are ready? PAGASA had already urged Central Visayas to prepare for drier months, with risks to farming, water resources, fisheries, and public health outlined in a July government report. Have our local governments identified the most vulnerable barangays? Are hospitals ready for heat-related illnesses? And what is the fallback if water and electricity supplies come under pressure at the same time?
For farmers, preparedness must arrive before the crop is lost. Which irrigation systems have been rehabilitated? How many vulnerable farming areas already have functioning pumps? Have farmers been told whether and when to change their planting schedules, and do they have access to suitable drought-resistant planting material? Assistance for farmers and fisherfolk should protect livelihoods before damage becomes irreversible. We should also ask how authorities will monitor food supplies and prices. A promise of help after a failed harvest is not the same as protecting that harvest.
Local governments cannot stop at receiving weather advisories. PAGASA’s September advisory called for proactive, data-driven action and pointed to climate projections available down to municipal level. What have our LGUs done with that information? Which communities have been prioritized, which measures have been funded, and who is responsible for carrying them out? The public deserves answers in plain language—not another list of activities, but a clear account of what is ready and what remains unfinished.
This is not a claim that nothing has been done. It is a demand to show what has been done. National agencies and local governments should make their readiness reports public, locality by locality: water sources available, pumps operating, irrigation repaired, farmers informed, and essential services prepared. Give credit where measures are in place. Identify the gaps where they are not. We have heard the plans. Now show us preparedness—before the wells run dry.