THE chairperson of the House committee on public works yesterday backed President Marcos Jr.’s order to create an El Niño team to address the looming water shortage and improve public infrastructure to help mitigate the impact of the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
“It is high time for an administration to prioritize the construction of critical infrastructure that would provide solutions to not only the effects of El Niño but to other weather disturbances and to climate change as well,” said Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo.
Momo, who is a former undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said the President’s plan to upgrade the country’s flood control and water management by building impounding dams, small river impounding projects, and high dams is the “right move forward.”
The President last weekend ordered the creation of a government team that would focus on mitigating the impact of the looming El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to hit from July to September this year and to last until 2024.
Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) earlier said the President issued the directive during a meeting with the OCD in Malacañang.
The President wants a whole-of-government approach through the mechanisms of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) so the country would have “protocol-based and scientific” long-term processes.”
Marcos also wants a public awareness campaign to urge the public to conserve water.
“It is commendable that the President has put forth clear instructions and plans on how we will deal with the impact of El Niño because this team would be able to give our problems with depleting water resources the attention it needs,” Momo said.
Saying that a well-constructed plan on dealing with El Niño would also benefit the future, the lawmaker stressed the role of “comprehensive engineering solutions” that would last across generations.
Momo, an engineer, said this includes the creation of dams, catch basins, warning systems, levees, and seawalls, among others.
The lawmaker said such directives are necessary “in order to prepare the government and the public on the devastating impact of El Niño on agriculture, marine environment, economy, and tourism.”
“It is the right move forward. This is not new to the Philippines. Time and again, we have seen how our communities have suffered because we were never prepared enough when the dry and wet seasons come. Today, we have an administration willing to face that painful truth. We should give it our full support,” he said.
