Palace: Government ready for worsening El Niño

Malacañang on Thursday assured the public that the government is prepared for the worsening effects of El Niño as the weather phenomenon is expected to intensify in the coming months.

Palace press officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government has experience dealing with El Niño and has already put measures in place to assist affected sectors.

“The government is prepared for this phenomenon because, if you remember, in 2024 we also had a Task Force El Niño. So, El Niño is not new to us,” Castro said in a briefing.

She said assistance programs for farmers and fisherfolk were among the government measures already being implemented.

PAGASA said a strong El Niño is currently affecting the tropical Pacific and is expected to intensify into a very strong El Niño before the end of 2026 and persist through the first half of 2027.

Castro urged the public not to panic amid concerns over possible water shortages.

“So, there is no need to panic like what we see on social media,” she said. “What our countrymen need is to prepare, to be ready.”

No need to hoard water

The Palace also discouraged the public from hoarding bottled water and containers amid fears of tighter water supplies.

Castro said conservation was encouraged but buying excessive amounts of bottled water or storing large quantities unnecessarily could fuel public anxiety.

She assured the public that bottled water supplies in supermarkets remained available.

Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had earlier convened agencies involved in El Niño preparations, including PAGASA, the Department of Agriculture, National Irrigation Administration, National Water Resources Board and Department of Social Welfare and Development.

PAGASA has warned that an intensifying El Niño could increase the likelihood of below-normal rainfall, drought and warmer-than-usual temperatures in many parts of the country.