With a looming El Niño expected to hit by mid-year, former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga is calling on the government to prioritize "immediate" resource management to shield the country from an impending economic and environmental crunch.

Speaking on DZRH’s Special on Saturday (SOS), Yulo-Loyzaga emphasized that while long-term adaptation is necessary, the window for urgent preparation is closing. She identified water security, food stability, and energy conservation as the three critical pillars the government must address before the dry spell peaks.

Prioritizing Water and Food Security

Yulo-Loyzaga stressed that the government must move beyond traditional planning and implement Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) immediately.

• Urban Areas: Strengthening water distribution for domestic use to prevent shortages in highly populated centers.

• Rural & Island Municipalities: Finding alternative water sources for "hard-to-reach" areas that are often the first to suffer during droughts.

• Agriculture: Ensuring that Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Kiko Laurel’s contingency plans are "already on stream" to protect the country's food supply.

"Our food security must be a priority," Yulo-Loyzaga stated, noting that the agricultural sector remains the most vulnerable to the high temperatures and lack of rainfall associated with El Niño.

The former secretary also highlighted the need for a national push toward energy management. Amid rising electricity costs and global volatility, she urged the public and the government to adopt strict conservation measures.

"We need to be able to save on our energy consumption. This is also good for climate change mitigation,” she said.

“Pero energy management and water management as well as the food security of the country Ngayon lang po ay ginagawa na pero dapat po ma-emphasize po natin conservation of energy, conservation of water, and very wise use of our agricultural systems.”

Beyond the heat, Yulo-Loyzaga warned of the "double-edged sword" of climate patterns. While the immediate threat is heat stroke—which she confirmed the Department of Health (DOH) is already monitoring—she cautioned against the potential for severe flooding and water-borne diseases like dengue and leptospirosis once the cycle shifts toward the end of the year.

Addressing the broader scale of the crisis, she reminded the public that the Philippines remains one of the most vulnerable nations to sea-level rise, urging that all immediate El Niño preparations be integrated into the country’s larger economic and infrastructure resilience planning.