El Niño has minimal impact in Pangasinan

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan: The El Niño phenomenon, which had caused widespread drought in many parts of the country, only had minimal effects in this agricultural province, Gov. Ramon Guico 3rd said on Friday.

“[The province was] affected, but it did not call for us to declare a crisis,” Guico told reporters here.

He said that together with the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAgO) and other provincial government offices, they conducted an assessment if El Niño was a threat when it started last year.

“But it was not [a threat]. I even said to the point that since we have a lot of salt, we can do cloud seeding,” Guico said.

The governor was referring to the salt harvested from the Pangasinan Salt Center, which the provincial government operates in Bolinao town.

El Niño is characterized by unusually warmer than average sea surface temperatures at the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Last month, Pagasa said that El Niño across the tropical Pacific Ocean had shown signs of weakening and this is expected to persist until May.

“But at least we’re past that and slowly, we now experience rainfall,” Guico said.

According to a report of the PAgO, due to the dry spell caused by the El Niño phenomenon the province lost 1,140 metric tons (MT) of rice, or about 0.26 percent loss.

Despite this, the province achieved a rice sufficiency level of 209.25 percent, or rice production equivalent to 830,062.18 MT. This means that Pangasinan has a surplus production of 433,382.54 MT, which is consumable for 13 months, the report said.

In addition, PAgO said the province had harvested a total of 148,493 MT of “palay” (unhusked rice) from January to February this year. The harvest is equivalent to 88,798.81 MT of clean rice, which is consumable for another three months.

Because of the rising heat index in Pangasinan, Guico advised Pangasinan mayors to call for suspension of face-to-face classes in their respective towns or cities if they feel that they have to do it.

Guico said that the heat indices are not the same in the different places of the province, so he said, it is the call of the LGU to declare a suspension of face-to-face classes and go to the alternative mode of instruction.

“It’s really hot. And our schools do not have air-conditioners, some do not even have electric fans,” Guico said.

Heat index is the temperature that the body feels or the apparent temperature that gives the human body discomfort.

The Pagasa office in Dagupan City has recorded heat indices in Pangasinan ranging from 40°C to 43°C from March 30 to April 4.

Since April 2, face to face classes in public and private schools in the province were suspended, first in one town, and as of April 4, in 15 towns and cities.

Pangasinan had a long weekend starting April 5, which has been declared as a nonworking holiday for the province to celebrate its 444th foundation anniversary.