Agri official says rainfall not enough

DRIZZLES lasting almost the entire day experienced by different parts of the country Friday did not have any effect on crops, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Agriculture Secretary Bernie Fondevilla said the amount of rainfall was not enough for any kind of crop to recover.

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“We hope that even if there was no effect to crops, there is an effect to the water level in watershed areas and dams, which are now in the critical level,” he added.

On Friday, different parts of the country, especially in Luzon, experienced isolated rain showers, putting temperatures lower than previous days.

In Baguio, Dr. Salvador Olinares, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa)-Baguio chief, said over a radio interview that the rain showers were due to the cold front that is affecting certain parts on Luzon.

He said the rainfall was due to natural causes and not because of the cloud-seeding earlier done in nearby provinces such as Benguet.

“We are currently experiencing a moderate kind of El Nino, which might last until June,” Olinares said of the current state of the dry spell.

Rotating brownouts

The El Niño phenomenon also aggravated the power crisis being experienced by the country today.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo recently placed Mindanao under a state of calamity due to the worsening power crisis in the region.

On Saturday, Metro Manila and nearby provinces again experienced rotating brownouts from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. because of the malfunctioning and complete shutdown of power plants.

Three power plants - Sta. Rita Module 30, Sual Unit 1 and Malaya - continue to malfunction due to fuel deficiency, affecting the Luzon grid, according to the Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

Aside from this, Magat hydroelectric power plant in Isabela has shut down, causing 350 megawatts of losses to the Luzon grid.

Alexander Alvarez, district engineer of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, said the lack of fuel supply in the Luzon grid is the main reason for the rotating brownouts.

He added that if other kinds of power plants, such as the thermal ones, do not have problems, there will be no rotating brownouts in Luzon. (Angela Casauay/Sunnex)