Senator Francis Pancratius N. Pangilinan on Wednesday called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to establish an online public accountability dashboard to track and monitor the government's funds and response to the strong El Niño. The proposal would give the public a running view of how El Niño funds are released and used, and how response efforts are progressing on the ground.

"I call on the President to direct the NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council), through OCD (Office of Civil Defense) and the concerned agencies, to maintain a single, coordinated El Niño action plan with named leads, measurable targets, and regular action plan reporting," Mr. Pangilinan said in a statement.

Under the proposal, the dashboard would provide reports every 24 hours, 48 hours, or weekly, depending on the urgency and nature of the information. The senator said this would ensure government agencies promptly disclose critical developments, resource requirements, and the progress of response efforts.

He added that the system would also monitor the release and use of funds, the delivery of supplies, the number of households reached, the completion of farm and water-system interventions, and the resolution of price complaints, alongside the filing of cases against those who violate the law. Consolidating those measures in one public tracker would place fund flows, household assistance, farm and water-system works, and consumer-side complaints on the same record.

The proposed dashboard forms part of the senator's previously released eight-point action plan, which calls for more proactive preparations against potential dry spells and drought, with the dashboard serving as the plan's public-facing accountability layer.

El Niño is a recurring climate pattern characterized by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, which typically brings reduced rainfall and dry conditions to parts of the Philippines — the dry spells and drought the senator's plan is meant to prepare for. The NDRRMC serves as the country's lead coordinating body for disaster preparedness and response across government agencies. Putting the dashboard into operation would rest on the presidential directive Mr. Pangilinan is seeking, which would task the NDRRMC, the OCD, and concerned agencies with keeping the single action plan and its reporting current. — Francessca S. Abalos