Senator Lorna Regina B. Legarda, a longtime advocate of climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness in the Philippine Senate, has called on the Department of Education (DepEd) and local government units (LGUs) to immediately prioritize rainwater catchment systems in public schools as the Philippines braces for prolonged dry spells and water shortages during the El Niño phenomenon.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ms. Legarda urged DepEd and the LGUs to coordinate with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country's state weather agency, in assessing suitable locations for installing modular rain barrels, roof gutters, and storage tanks. She explained that these systems collect runoff from rooftops into covered containers for non-drinking uses, including toilet flushing and the cleaning of school facilities.

The senator's appeal follows PAGASA's warning in September that a strong El Niño is present in the Tropical Pacific and is expected to intensify and persist until the first quarter of 2027. El Niño, a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, typically raises the likelihood of dry spells and drought. Ms. Legarda noted, however, that rain may still fall in some areas because of tropical cyclones and other weather systems, and she encouraged schools and LGUs to take advantage of available rainfall to build water reserves ahead of the prolonged dry period.

DepEd, the national agency responsible for basic education, oversees the country's public school system, while LGUs serve as the frontline local authorities for community services — making school-level water storage a meaningful component of broader drought preparedness. Capturing rooftop runoff for non-potable purposes is a widely recognized conservation measure that can ease demand on public water supplies during shortages. How DepEd and the LGUs follow through — starting with the PAGASA-coordinated site assessments Ms. Legarda described — is the immediate step to watch as the dry period approaches.

"We have to make good use of the time and resources available to us," Ms. Legarda said.

The report, by Francessca S. Abalos, was first published by BusinessWorld (Bworldonline).