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To ensure the country’s readiness to fight the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has reactivated and reconstituted the Task Force El Niño through the issuance of Executive Order No. 53, increasing the resilience of communities and securing sufficient water supply, food security and public health and safety.

Under EO No. 53 issued on January 19, 2024, and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, the Task Force El Niño is reactivated under the Office of the President. The Task Force will be chaired by the Secretary of the Department of National Defense and co-chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Among the members are the Secretaries of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health (DOH) and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

The Office of Civil Defense shall provide administrative and technical support to the Task Force in the performance of its functions.

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Citizen Report

PAGASA: Strong El Niño is expected to continue through Dec-Jan 2024. The majority of global climate models suggest that El Niño will likely persist until the March-April-May 2024 season with a transition to ENSO-neutral in the April-May-June 2024 season.

In line with this, the government would like to ask local communities about any observed effects of El Niño in their area through this citizen report survey. The information you contribute will assist the government in determining mitigation strategies and providing aid to those affected.

Click here to view Citizen Report Dashboard.

Report Situation

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about our products/services

  • What is El Niño?

    El Niño is a large scale oceanographic/meteorological phenomenon that develops in the Pacific Ocean, and is associated with extreme climatic variability i.e., devastating rains, winds, drought, etc. It is the migration from time to time of warm surface waters from the western equatorial Pacific Basin to the eastern equatorial Pacific region, along the coasts of Peru and Ecuador. This condition can prevail for more than a year thus adversely affecting the economy in both local and global scale. 

     

    El Niño translates from Spanish as the “Boy Child” or the “Little One”. It used to be considered a local event along the coast of Peru and Ecuador. The term was traditionally used by the Peruvian anchovy fishermen to describe the appearance of warm ocean current flowing the South American coast around Christmas time. 

     

    In normal condition, the prevailing southeasterly trade winds produce a surface current flowing toward the equator along the western South American coast. The waters leaving the coast are replaced by colder waters from below (upwelling), which is rich in phytoplankton, the food source of anchovy. 

     

    The warm current (El Niño) temporarily displaces nutrient-rich upwelling cold water resulting to heavy harvest of anchovies. The abundant catch, however, lasted for only a short period of time. What followed later was a sharp decline in the fish population resulting in lesser catch. At times, warming is exceptionally strong and ruins the anchovy harvest. 

     

    Source: DOST-PAGASA
    • It occurs in the Pacific basin every 2 to 9 years; 
    • It usually starts during the Northern winter (December to February); 
    • Once established, it lasts until the first half of the following year, although at times, it stays longer (ex: 1939-1941 and 1989-1992 episodes); 
    • It exhibits phase-locking at annual cycles (El Niño and rainfall fluctuations with it tend to recur at the same time of the year); and 
    • It usually has a biennial cycle (El Niño events will often be preceded and/ or followed by La Niña). 

     

    Source: DOST-PAGASA
    • Delayed onset of the rainy season 
    • Early termination of the rainy season 
    • Weak monsoon activity isolated heavy downpour with short duration 
    • Far tropical cyclone track 
    • Less number of tropical cyclones entering the PAR 

     

    Source: DOST-PAGASA
  • What are the effects of ENSO in the Philippines?

    In the Philippines, drought/dry spell events are associated with the occurrence of El Niño. What provinces were already affected by drought/dry spell in the Philippines during the May to August 2015 rainfall assessment? See maps and figures below. dryspell drought assess july31 Source: DOST-PAGASA

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