Negros Oriental Gears Up: Integrating Rehabilitation and Post-El Niño Measures in Response Plans

 DUMAGUETE CITY –

In preparation for the worsening dry spell in Negros Oriental, various government agencies, utility firms, and stakeholders have been instructed to integrate rehabilitation and post-El Niño measures into their respective mitigation and response plans.

Adrian Sedillo, the executive director of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), stated in a recent interview that a comprehensive provincial action plan, aligning with the national action plan but adapted to local conditions with innovative approaches, is in the works.

Governor Manuel Sagarbarria has given the green light to convene the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDDRM Council) in the first week of February. The council, chaired by the governor, includes key government offices, agencies, and partner stakeholders responsible for formulating an integrated disaster risk reduction plan, while the PDRRMO implements the plan.

Sedillo emphasized the importance of incorporating rehabilitation and post-El Niño programs in the contingency plans to address both immediate and long-term consequences. The PDRRMC will bring together individual contingency plans from various agencies, including water and power utilities, to ensure a coordinated and efficient response.

Key agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, the National Irrigation Administration, and the National Food Authority have already outlined their respective mitigation and response action plans.

As Negros Oriental faces a prolonged dry spell expected to extend through the second quarter of the year, with a possibility of drought due to minimal rainfall, the Provincial Task Force El Niño is anticipated to be established through an executive order by the governor in response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive.