Cebu won’t be in state of calamity soon

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) will not declare Cebu under state of calamity amid the onset of the El Niño phenomenon.

PDRRMO spokesperson Julius R. Regner said they will continue monitoring and assessing the situation in the different local government units (LGUs).

"As far as the Republic Act 10121 is concerned, if ever two or more LGUs and ma-apektohan, pwede nata mu declare under state of calamity. So that is the time we can give support. Layo pa tan-aw nako," he said. (If two or more LGUs are affected, then we can declare state of calamity and this is the time that we can give support.)

In the meantime, PDRRMO continues to monitor areas that are experiencing low water levels.

They will be prioritizing the upland areas such as farms that lack water supplies for agricultural purposes.

PDRRMO is also in close coordination with the LGUs and has started providing interventions such as rationing water in different areas as well as distributing water tanks.

"We need to coordinate with the local disaster officer if ever we need to distribute water, mag ration bitaw," he added.

Regner added that since Pag-asa said that there will still be rains in the coming days, he encouraged farmers to store water using the tanks they have distributed.

He also suggested that the farmers should harvest their crops as soon as possible.

So far, Tumalog Falls is the only tourism site reported to have been affected by El Nino.

The falls reportedly ran out of water.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that Cebu will be experiencing below normal rainfall in the months of March, April and May.

Generally, Philippines is experiencing above normal air temperature of 30 to 31 degrees Celcius.

PAGASA suggests to the farmers to conserve water in the next three months depending on the crops they are cultivating and animals they are growing.

People who are planning to do outdoor activities should wear light colored clothes to lessen the absorption of heat and should stay hydrated to avoid heat exhaustion and stroke. — Tanja Catherine R. Stöckli, USC Intern MBG (FREEMAN)