House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto on Tuesday called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to consider upgrading the “Roadmap to Address the Impact of El Niño” (RAIN) as a measure to prevent the weather phenomenon from seriously harming the country’s food, electricity, and water supply.

In a press statement, Recto pointed out that RAIN was a comprehensive strategy paper drafted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), which guided the whole-of-nation’s response during the 2015-2016 El Niño event.

“Meron nang blueprint sa ganitong emergency. Kailangan lang ay (There is already a blueprint for this kind of emergency. All that’s needed is) to dust it off and brush it up, so it will be attuned to the unique characteristics of the 2023 version of El Niño,” said the lawmaker from the 6th District of Batangas.

He said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s concurrent role as agriculture secretary should be one big motivating factor for him to commission an El Niño response strategy.

Recto emphasized that the agriculture sector, which is already saddled with the high cost of fuel and fertilizer, should not be burdened further by the scarcity of water caused by the weather phenomenon.

“Scarcity in water leads to scarcity in food. This is not an alarmist statement. It is a fact because, without water, you cannot grow food,” he said.

He also pointed out that the lack of water also shrinks planting areas, delays planting seasons, and cuts crop yields.

Recto warned that El Niño also harms livestock and poultry, as high temperatures can cause heat stress on animals.

Water is also needed to keep farms clean and prevent the spread of diseases, such as African swine fever, he said.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, there have been seven severe El Niño events since 1980, with the last one lasting from 2015 to 2016 that inflicted an estimated USD327 million in agricultural losses.

To address the 2015-2016 El Niño episode, the administration of then president Benigno Aquino III crafted RAIN, which focused on ensuring food security, health, energy security, and safety in 67 impacted provinces, plus Metro Manila.

“The Marcos government should have a whole-of-nation response of its own, and I believe that the BBM version will be a superior one because it can draw from a wealth of previous experiences,” Recto said. (PNA)