Gov. Gwen Garcia has called on all the city and municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (DRRMO) in the Province of Cebu to strengthen their El Niño information campaign to spread awareness about fire safety practices while the El Niño rages on.
“We are calling on all the municipal and city disaster risk reduction management offices to see to it that everyone is reminded of the risk, high risks of the flammability, flammable materials that were normally dili unta, precisely because of the abnormally high temperature indices that we have been seeing,” Gov. Gwen said in press conference on April 8.
The governor’s reminder was issued after grass fires due to intense heat waves were recorded in the towns of Oslob and Aragao, and the in the mountain barangays of Cebu City. Residential areas are also susceptible to fire hazards, as news reports of residential fires have been dominating the local news beginning March last month.
Gov. Gwen added that the Capitol will study the situation and provide assistance where needed. As for the crops that will be affected by the drought, the governor gave the assurance that these are covered by insurance with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, and any damage will be compensated accordingly.
“We will watch and study the situation very carefully. We will assist where we can assist. We will make a decision where we should make a decision,” the governor added.
On April 5, the governor issued Memorandum 22-2024 suspending all the classes in Cebu Province due to an unusually high heat index, posing risks to the welfare of the students. In support, the Department of Education Central Visayas also issued a memorandum suspending classes in public schools and to implement online or modular classes or any alternative learning modality applicable.
El Niño is a naturally occurring phenomenon that takes place in the country on summer time, between March to May. It is caused as the Pacific Ocean warms up more than usual, affecting wind circulation, air temperature, and precipitation patterns, impacting the weather around the world. | BJR