Iloilo City, Antique reactivate El Niño taskforces
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Iloilo City and the Province of Antique have reactivated their El Niño taskforces in Western Visayas.
The Department of Interior and Local Government earlier issued Memorandum Circular No. 2023–065, enjoining governors, city and municipal mayors to form or reactivate their El Niño taskforces.
The following are the functions of the city’s El Niño taskforce: (https://rb.gy/5oh5u)
* Formulate a comprehensive disaster preparedness, response plan and contingency plan for the El Niño phenomenon to help the public cope with the phenomena and to minimize its disastrous effects;
* Regularly monitor the implementation of the plan, report the progress to the CDRRMO and recommend actions to emerging issues not covered by the plans;
* Conduct a massive information campaign to educate the public on the El Niño and the needed interventions to reduce its expected adverse impact in the locality;
* Enlist the assistance and support of any government agency on instrumentality as well as civil society in pursuance of its functions and objectives;
* Identify possible funding sources to implement the activities of the taskforce; and
* Undertake such other functions as may be necessary to fulfill its objectives.
Taskforce members are directed to constitute working committees, each focused on different functional concerns such as agriculture, natural resources and water management; early warning system and information campaign; energy and power, public works, transportation and telecommunication; and consumer protection, social services, health and rescue and relief.
Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao, for her part, warned that El Niño has serious impacts on agriculture, affecting food sufficiency, availability, and distribution in the region.
