SAN JOSE, Antique (PIA) -- The provincial government of Antique has issued Executive Order (E.O.) No. 85, S. 2023, reactivating and reconstituting the El Niño Task Force of the province.

Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao cited in the Order that there is a need to enhance inter-agency coordination in the formulation and implementation of measures to mitigate the effects of the phenomenon.

Cadiao who chairs theEl Niño task force together with the Provincial Agriculturist as Co-Chair, is also composed of relevant provincial government offices, such as the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Provincial Planning and Development Office, Environment and Natural Resources Office, and the Provincial Information Office.

Various national government agencies (NGAs) also form part of the Task Force, including the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), National Food Authority (NFA), and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

The state weather bureau added that the phenomenon may persist until the first quarter of 2024 and urged government agencies and the public to take necessary precautions against its impending effects on the country. (AGP/BPS/PIA Antique)