PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an executive order (EO) reconstituting and reactivating the Task Force El Niño to ensure the country’s readiness to address the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, Malacañang said on Monday.
EO 53, signed last January 19, aims to increase the resilience of communities and secure sufficient water supply, food security, and public health and safety.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Photo from PCO
The task force shall be chaired by the secretary of the Department of National Defense and co-chaired by the secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST).
The members are the secretaries of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health, and the National Economic and Development Authority.
The Office of Civil Defense shall provide administrative and technical support.
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EO 53 likewise mandates the revision and updating of the Strategic El Niño National Action Plan, monitoring of the implementation of short and long-term solutions and programs identified in the Strategic El Niño National Action Plan, and coordination among all concerned agencies in expediting the completion of all ongoing water infrastructure projects intended to cushion or mitigate the impacts of the dry spell not later than the end of April 2024.
In coordination with the DoST, the Task Force will establish the El Niño Online Platform, which will serve as a centralized repository for a wide range of data, research, and information concerning El Niño, such as interactive maps and visualizations, as well as well-informed, data-driven plans and programs related to El Niño.
“For this purpose, the Task Force is hereby authorized to create, convene, and re-organize sub-committees and/or working groups to ensure the effective implementation of this Order, as well as the Strategic El Niño National Action Plan, subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations,” the EO read.
Last year, a National Action Plan Framework was crafted to fortify communities against the effects of El Niño by focusing on five key sectors — water supply, agriculture, electricity, health and public safety — and with corresponding key priority interventions to be implemented by concerned government agencies.
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