Politics · Philippines Bureau
Duterte Questions Marcos Leadership on El Niño Crisis Response
Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday expressed skepticism about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s ability to effectively address the impacts of El Niño, as she outlined the Office of the Vice President's separate response measures to the weather phenomenon.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte cast doubt on the national government's capacity to tackle El Niño's effects, stating that Filipinos cannot depend on President Marcos to manage the crisis adequately.
Duterte made the remarks while presenting the Office of the Vice President's action plan to mitigate El Niño's impact on the country. Her comments came in response to Marcos' earlier public statements urging citizens to prepare for water scarcity by collecting buckets and storing rainwater.
The Vice President's criticism signals a widening gap between the two top officials on disaster preparedness and climate-related emergencies. Her office has been implementing its own initiatives to address the phenomenon, suggesting a parallel approach to the administration's official response.
El Niño, characterized by warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures, typically brings drought conditions and water shortages to the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia. The competing responses from the country's two highest-ranking officials underscore ongoing tensions within the executive branch regarding crisis management strategies.