Is Philippines geared for El Nino? Critics say water-planning has run dry

The government’s haphazard response to El Nino reflects its persistent track record of failing to do adequate disaster and infrastructure planning, according to climate and risk specialists.

El Nino is a weather phenomenon that causes changes in winds and rainfall and erratic weather around the world due to warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The 2026-2027 El Nino event was declared in June by the World Meteorological Organization and is expected to peak in November and December.

On Thursday, Philippine Trade Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters that there was no need for residents to hoard bottled water and that supplies and prices of basic goods remained stable, following social media posts showing that Filipinos were buying water and other items in huge quantities at supermarkets.