Archdiocese of Cebu to issue Oratio Imperata on El Niño; gov’t urged to make long-term solutions

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma in a press conference after the launch of Pagsangyaw 2021 at the IEC Pavillion in Cebu City on March 16, 2019. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Archdiocese of Cebu is going to issue an Oratio Imperata for the El Niño that has begun to dry the farmlands and to deplete the water sources in Cebu in early March.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said that they were composing a prayer for rain which hopefully would be finished soon so it could be prayed in all Masses in the archdiocese.

“Very soon, we come out with Oratio Imperata alang niining dry season, alang niining El Niño. Dako kaayong sakripisyo sa tawo tungod aning kakulang sa tubig,” said Palma.

(Very soon, we come out with an Oratio Imperata for the dry season and the El Niño. The people have to sacrifice a lot because of this lack of water.)

Palma said that the prayer would also seek enlightenment on the government so that they could find long term solutions for calamities such as El Niño since these kinds of conditions could be predicted and could be prepared for.

“Pareha sa ilang giingon sa Manila nga ila punto, nga nasayod naman kita nga halos every year duna may El Niño, ngano wala man kini gipreparahan? So siguro part of that (Oratio Imperata) is for a solution,” said Palma.

(Like what they are pointing out in Manila, that we know that almost every year there is an El Niño, then why aren’t they preparing for this event? So part of that (Oratio Imperata) is for a solutio.)

“Kung kada tuig mag El Niño, how soon and how much do we prepare for the event,” he added.

(If every year there is an El Niño, then how soon and how much do we prepare for the event.)

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in Central Visayas (Pagasa-7) said that a weak El Niño had been prevailing over the country which would last until the end of May.

Pagasa-7 said in previous statements that the El Niño had been causing the temperature to rise above normal, topping at 32 degrees this March, one degree higher than the normal atmospheric temperature.

The water levels in dams such as the Buhisan dam in Cebu City has reached a critical level dropping to 1,500 cubic meter from its normal 6,000 cubic meters.

Pagasa-7 recorded an evaporation rate of 6 millimeters per day in Negros Oriental, the rate representing the entire region. /dbs