The government is closely monitoring the food prices as well as the water and energy supplies with the anticipation that the El Niño phenomenon will more provinces by the end of February.

In a news forum on Saturday, Task Force El Niño spokesperson and Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary, Joey Villarama, the government has monitored P151 million in losses in agricultural products, mainly rice and corn, in Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula alone.

According to Villarama, at least 41 provinces are currently experiencing a dry spell nationwide, while 10 more areas could be added to the list of El Niño affected provinces before March.

Villarama said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. specifically ordered the monitoring of food security in the country, including water and power supply and food prices.

He noted that Marcos also mentioned the need to ensure the good health of those who will be hardly hit by the drought season.

“Based on the directive of the chief executive, we are monitoring our food security, water and power supply, health, and food prices. This is where our fiscal measures will enter,” said Villarama.

He said the Department of Health is currently monitoring water-borne and vector-driven diseases like cholera, typhoid fever, dengue, and chikungunya.

No outbreak has so far been monitored, he noted.