黑料社

MANILA, Philippines 鈥� President Ferdinand 鈥淏ongbong鈥� Marcos Jr. on Monday said he does not see the need to declare a nationwide state of calamity due to the El Ni帽o.

In an ambush interview in Bacolod city, Marcos was asked about the provinces that have declared a state of calamity due to the dry season, aggravated by the El Ni帽o phenomenon.

Marcos said every province will be affected to different degrees, but the government will tackle it on a regional level.

鈥淗indi naman pwede shotgun lang, parang one size fits all. So we look at each area and see what it is that they need. So that鈥檚 the way we are handling the local states of calamity that the local governments have declared,鈥� said Marcos.

(It is not a shotgun approach, like a one-size-fits-all. So that鈥檚 the way we are handling the local states of calamity that the local governments have declared.)

Marcos also said the national government had taken measures such as building dams and developing irrigation systems.

Several provinces have declared a calamity due to a lack of water and the impact of El Ni帽o on agriculture.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the El Ni帽o has caused over P1.2 billion in damage across the country, affecting around 29,400 farmers.

Aside from water shortages, the phenomenon has also caused wildfires in Mindanao and Visayas.

The government has warned of a longer dry spell for most of the year due to the combined effects of the El Ni帽o and the La Ni帽a.