Capiz forms El Niño task force to protect livelihoods

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz — Capiz Gov. Fredenil H. Castro issued Executive Order No. 31, Series of 2026, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, creating a Provincial El Niño Task Force to prepare for the potential effects of El Niño in the province.

The task force will focus on ensuring adequate water supply, protecting agriculture and livelihoods, monitoring heat-related illnesses, and implementing measures to prevent fires.

Its members include representatives from various provincial government offices, local government officials from the province’s 16 municipalities and Roxas City, national government agencies, water districts and electric cooperatives.

Under the executive order, the task force must formulate a Provincial El Niño Action Plan within 15 calendar days from the order’s effectivity.

The plan will include an assessment of water supply and demand, identification of areas vulnerable to water shortages, and measures to protect agriculture, public health and the environment.

The task force is also required to conduct regular meetings and submit progress reports to the governor to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of its programs.

El Niño is a climate phenomenon associated with unusually warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, which can bring below-normal rainfall and prolonged dry spells to parts of the Philippines.

The provincial initiative aims to minimize potential disruptions to agricultural production, water availability and public health as Capiz prepares for possible drought conditions.