The threat of El Niño casts a long shadow over the whole of La Union.

The weather phenomenon affects people's lives and threatens their means of livelihood which is evident in parched landscapes and inconvenient heat index.

Though the people of La Union have been enjoying the cool breeze brought by the amihan the past couple of weeks, it can temporarily make people forget that the effects of El Niño in the province keep on going.

For more than six months, beginning in July, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has shown that El Niño's effect on people in the province will likely last until February, with its possible effects on water shortages affecting La Union and its agricultural economy.

Resilience and adaptability

For Rizalina Gali, 66, a coffee vendor in Tubao town market in southern La Union, the rising temperature caused by the weather phenomenon has affected her sales, as fewer people have bought coffee from her over the past few weeks in favor of cold beverages to keep themselves cool under the sweltering heat of the sun.

Gali says that she hopes the cool breeze experienced by her town early in the morning and late at night continues for the next few weeks and extends into the daylight hours to encourage more people to buy from her.

“Narigat tatta ti aglako gamin uray nalamiis iti bigat, nabiit nga pumudot iti tiyempo su nga bassit met lang iti malako nga kape ta nabara ngarud. Bassit ti malakkuwan ta sobra met bara na gamin (It is hard to sell right now because even though the weather is cool in the early morning, it gets really hot fast which lessens the chances of selling coffee. My income is low because the temperature right now is really high),” Gali says.

The vendor says that she might shift to selling cold drinks in the coming days if the temperature stays high to earn more but that it will entail purchasing additional items to start making refreshments, necessitating additional capital which she lacks as of the moment.

“Haan tayu met mabaliwan iti tiyempo. Kasta nga talaga su nga iruam tayu latta bagbagi tayun (We cannot change the weather. All we can do is adapt ourselves to it),” Gali adds, noting how people cannot control the weather but can adjust to the changing weather instead.

For Lisa Jacla, a laundrywoman from Agoo town west of Tubao, the hot weather has been a boon for her livelihood, as the sweltering heat means more clothes are dried faster, and the more clothes dried, the better the chances of her earning more from clients needing her services.

“Napardas nga maywakas ti laba tatta ta nagbara met inggana malem. Naparpardas ku malpas trabahok ken nu malpas iti maysa, sumublat nak tu manen ken dagijay dadduma pay nga agpalaba (It is easier to finish my laundry work nowadays because the weather is hot and it lasts through the afternoon. It is faster for me to finish my laundry work and when I get to finish it, I can then transfer to other clients who also need their clothes washed),” Jacla says.

Jacla adds that nowadays, she can finish her laundry duties for at most three clients per day on weekends, up from just one to two clients from last year, boosting her earnings as a result.

But even with the spike in her earnings, she worries how the extended time she is under the sun these days may affect her health moving forward, noting how the searing heat causes her to tire faster and get exhausted more.

“Makapaulaw talaga ta baket nak metten. Ikarigatan latta ah uray makabannog ta atuy met iti trabahok ken pagka-kwartaan (I get dizzy sometimes because I am already getting up there in age. But I still sacrifice even though my work is tiring because this gives me an opportunity to earn),” Jacla says.

Government intervention

Various government interventions have also been in place to mitigate the effects of the weather phenomenon, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD’s) Risk Resiliency Program (RRP) that aims to increase the resiliency of communities towards the effects of climate change.

The RRP endeavors to create interventions to address water and food security, particularly its use of the Project Local Adaptation to Water Access (LAWA) which aims to create Small Farm Reservoirs (SFRs).

These SFRs are to be used to store water which can then be used in times of water scarcity and drought.

Henry J. Juyno, Information Officer II of the DSWD 1’s Disaster Response Management Division, says that the RRP shall be implemented in three phases, to include beneficiaries undergoing a three-day learning and development session to increase their understanding of Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.

The second step includes the implementation of the project through a cash-for-work scheme for 15 days, involving the conduct of activities to increase water resources to a sufficient level and undertaking to address food security.

The third and last step involves a sustainability strategy involving a two-day training for beneficiaries on livelihood, maintenance and rehabilitation of the project, and community organizing.

“Ang target ng programa ay ang mga [l]okal na [p]amahalaang apektado ng El Niño base sa Climate Outlook ng PAGASA noong ika-tatlo ng Disyembre taong 2023, at limang nangungunang lokal na pamahalaan sa bawat probinsya na may mataas na poverty incidence batay sa Listahanan 3 (The target of the program are local governments affected by the El Niño based on PAGASA’s Climate Outlook last December 3, 2023, and the five leading local governments from every province with high poverty incidence based on Listahanan 3),” Juyno said.

The people’s resiliency in Region 1 and the government’s initiative to help through the implementation of various programs and services to battle El Niño echo the hope that even with the unrelenting climates, the seeds of resilience and sustainability can thrive and take root.

For Gali and Jacla, the help provided by the DSWD can go a long way towards helping them ward off the adverse effects of climate change, allowing them to continue working and earning despite the changing weather conditions in the province. (JCR/MJTAB/CCMT, PIA La Union)