Cloud Seeding awaits declaration of state of calamity

The Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) could
not conduct Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs) despite the experienced dry spell of Bohol because the province is
not under the State of Calamity (SoC).
During the meeting of the Bohol Provincial Task Force on El Niño yesterday at the Ceremonial Hall, 3 rd Floor,
New Capitol Building, Cogon, Tagbilaran City participated by the representatives from National Irrigation
Administration (NIA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Bureau of Fisheries
and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRMO), National Food
Authority (NFA), Provincial Health Office (PHO), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),
Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (OPSWD), Bohol
Water and Utilities, Inc. (BWUI), and OPA. It was found out that there have been none crops damages being
reported.

Engr. Maria Donesa Autida from NIA Region 7 said that they have not received any report from farmers group
of crops damages so as with the DA according to Cecil Opada of DA – Provincial Agricultural Technology
Coordination Office (PATCO).

Engr. Autida reported that the four major dams in Bohol: Malinao Dam in Pilar, Bayongan Dam in Pilar,
Capayas Dam in Ubay, and Talibon Dam in Zamora, Talibon and even the Communal Irrigation Systems (CISs) in
Binliw and Ilaya in Ubay and the Ilijan Reservoir Irrigation System in Ilijan, Tubigon have enough water level to
supply the necessary needs for the reproductive stage of crops standing until harvest this dry cropping season and
the remaining irrigation could possibly use for land preparation to selected irrigated areas in the next wet copping
season while waiting the normal rainfall condition on June forecast by PAG-ASA.

Autida disclosed that in the province there are 19,000 hectates (has.) are irrigated areas of which only 17,500
has. were being planted and the 1,500 has. had not been planted because they are located at the elevated areas.
Opada said that Bohol has 58,222 has. total rice areas of which 30,000 has. of these are rainfed which surely
face problem when dry spell condition would continue on June.

Leonardo Samar reported that Mature El Niño is expected to continue and show signs of weakening. Majority
of global climate models suggest that El Niño will likely persist until March-April-May 2024 season with a
transition to ENSO-neutral in April-May-June 2024 season.

Samar added that based on their forecast Rainfall conditions, Bohol will experience below normal rainfall on
March-May 2024 and on June-August 2024, Bohol will experience near normal rainfall conditions in most part of
the country; and Visayas: higher probability for above normal in June and August except July where below normal.
It was recommended by the Task Force that the monitoring will continue as the declaration of the State of
Calamity as of the moment is still premative.

The task force emphasized that the damage reports are necessary for the declaration of SoC as the major
requirement for the release of the Quick Response Fund (QFR) worth P2.5M and the P5M ready fund from DA
through Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) for the Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs). (Atoy Cosap)

EL NINO TASK FORCE MEETING. Dr. Anthony R. Damalerio, Head-PDRRMO, presided over the meeting
of the Bohol Provincial Task Force on El Nino as Gov. Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado, the Chairman, was on his trip in
Germany as the task force has recommended to still continue monitoring the effects of dry spell to agriculture before
taking possible declaration of State of Calamity for the conduct of cloud seeding operations.