Philippine senators urge Marcos to declare El Niño calamity status

The Philippine Senate moved Monday to pressure the administration into formally recognizing the El Niño crisis ravaging multiple regions across the country. Senate Resolution No. 765, initiated by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and supported by Vice-President Vicente Sotto III, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, seeks immediate action from President Marcos to declare a state of calamity.

The joint resolution represents bipartisan recognition of escalating El Niño-induced hardships affecting farming communities, water supplies, and economic activity across drought-stricken areas. A formal calamity declaration would unlock emergency appropriations, allow for price controls on essential goods, and enable the government to implement relief and rehabilitation programs more swiftly.

The filing underscores growing legislative concern over the delayed government response to the drought crisis, which has intensified throughout the region in recent months. Agricultural productivity has declined sharply, and water scarcity threatens both urban and rural populations dependent on rainfall-fed resources.

The resolution's endorsement by senior lawmakers from both government and opposition benches signals consensus that stronger executive action is needed to mitigate El Niño's cascading impacts on the economy and public welfare.