Spearheaded by the Local Conflict Transformation - Field Implementation Support Unit in Mindanao (LCT-FISU Mindanao), a unit under the CPP-NPA-NDF Peace Process Office (CPPO), a coordination meeting was convened on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, via Zoom video teleconference to discuss orientation, preparedness, and coordination mechanisms aimed at intensifying interventions to mitigate the potential impact of the looming dry spell on FR-led POs, particularly those engaged in farming activities.
“As we anticipate the possible effects of the El Niño phenomenon, we must ensure that our field offices in Mindanao, especially in non-BARMM areas are fully prepared for any eventuality brought about by the upcoming dry spell,” said Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento.
Proactive disaster, climate response
Sarmiento emphasized the importance of proactive and coordinated government action to protect vulnerable former rebel communities from the anticipated impact of El Niño.
“OPAPRU remains committed to strengthening preparedness mechanisms and coordinating closely with our local government units and partners in the regional and provincial levels to cushion the impact of the dry spell, particularly on our former rebels, their families, and their People’s Organizations engaged in farming,” said Sarmiento.
He likewise underscored that climate-related risks pose significant challenges to vulnerable and transitioning communities, especially those dependent on agriculture and community-based livelihood programs.
“Through stronger inter-agency coordination, early preparedness measures, and localized interventions, OPAPRU and its partner agencies can ensure timely assistance, protect livelihoods, and reinforce the government’s peacebuilding and reintegration efforts in conflict-affected areas,” Sarmiento added.
Lessons from Kidapawan experience
OPAPRU further highlighted the importance of drawing lessons from previous climate-related crises, particularly the Kidapawan experience in 2016, which exposed the severe social and humanitarian consequences that may arise when prolonged dry conditions, food insecurity, and inadequate institutional coordination converge in vulnerable farming communities.
“This incident highlights the need for proactive, transparent, and collaborative government action for marginalized and conflict-affected groups. OPAPRU’s El Nio preparedness initiative aims to bolster early intervention and agency coordination, ensuring former rebel communities and farming organizations receive support before humanitarian or security issues arise,” Sarmiento stated.
The peace adviser cited the need to institutionalize a unified coordination mechanism among national government agencies, local government units, Area Management Units, and former rebel-led People’s Organizations to avoid fragmented interventions and the duplication of assistance.
“Addressing governance fragmentation and coordination challenges remains critical in ensuring that climate response initiatives are timely, targeted, conflict-sensitive, and responsive to the actual needs of former rebels and their communities,” Sarmiento said.
Tuesday’s coordination meeting was attended by the Area Management Units from Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, together with key leaders of the Regional FR-led Federations from various regions in Mindanao, members of the Special Project Team, and partner agencies from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Resilience under Transformation Program
Meanwhile, Sarmiento said the agency’s Transformation Program remains central to sustaining peacebuilding gains by addressing the underlying socioeconomic vulnerabilities of former rebels and their communities, particularly in the context of escalating climate risks such as the El Niño phenomenon.
“By integrating disaster readiness, the TP establishes transformation as a sustained development strategy rather than a temporary solution. By embedding former rebels within formal disaster and climate planning and response structures, the TP reduces fragmentation, improves targeting of assistance, and enhances the efficiency of resource utilization across conflict-affected and vulnerable areas,” he said.
The Transformation Program serves as a localized peace framework that advances both resilience and transformation outcomes. It transforms former rebel communities from passive recipients of aid into active stakeholders in governance, disaster preparedness, and climate response.
“In the face of recurring environmental shocks, its relevance lies in ensuring that peace dividends are protected, governance gaps are minimized, and community resilience is strengthened through inclusive, adaptive, and forward-looking development strategies,” Sarmiento stressed.
‘TINAMPUSO: Task Force El Niño’
On Tuesday, the OPAPRU’s LCT-FISU Mindanao sought to establish and strengthen a coordination framework through the creation and activation of a “Tinampuso: Task Force El Niño,” the Agusan Manobo term “Tinampuso”describes a community where residents support each other act as one. The Task Force shall integrate Area Management Units (AMUs) into regional and provincial disaster governance structures under the oversight of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (PDRRMCs), and other existing mechanisms.
According to Atty. Elisa D. Evangelista, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Executive Director for Local Conflict Transformation, the proposed coordination framework is designed to ensure unified command, efficient coordination, and timely implementation of preparedness measures across all AMUs in Mindanao.
“The initiative is a strategic shift by treating former rebels not merely as beneficiaries of disaster relief, but as active partners in climate resilience. With the inclusion of FR-led People’s Organizations into local disaster and climate response plans, we aim to utilize their organized local networks to bolster food security, water preservation, and emergency preparedness,” Evangelista said, who concurrently heads the LCT-FISU Mindanao.
In support of evidence-based planning, Evangelista said that Area Management Units in Mindanao, in coordination with the various Regional FR Federations, will work closely with Provincial Local Government Units (PLGUs) through the Peace and Development Centers (PDCs) to consolidate and validate data on FRs and their respective People’s Organizations.
“The consolidation process will be guided by vulnerability maps and climate outlooks issued by PAGASA and the Department of Agriculture, ensuring that interventions are targeted, responsive, and grounded on projections,” Evangelista said.
She added that LCT-FISU Mindanao will be drafting operational guidelines that will standardize coordination protocols, data sharing mechanisms, and response interventions that will enable FR communities to effectively respond to El Niño conditions.
The guidelines will reinforce conflict-sensitive programming and align climate preparedness efforts with ongoing reintegration and transformation initiatives of OPAPRU under the CPPO’s Transformation Program.
“Our El Niño preparedness framework and coordination mechanisms will be elevated for adoption by the Joint Regional Task Force / Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (JRTF/RTF-ELCAC) during its Third Quarter Full Council Meeting. This institutional endorsement is expected to strengthen inter-agency convergence, ensure policy coherence, and enhance the delivery of assistance to FR communities across climate-vulnerable areas,” Evangelista said.
In Mindanao, the Region 9 provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Norte, Sibugay, and Zamboanga City will face the early onset of drought and severe rainfall deficits.
Regions 11 and 12, specifically South Cotabato, Sarangani, Davao del Sur, and Davao de Oro, anticipate threats to food and economic security due to their heavy reliance on rice, corn, and high-value crops.
Region 10 faces climate-driven risks: Bukidnon's highland crops like coffee and pineapple suffer from shifting temperatures, while Misamis Oriental deals with coastal dry spells.
The Caraga Region will experience a climate paradox, remaining vulnerable to both El Niño droughts and unseasonal flash floods caused by shifting cyclone tracks.
State weather bureau PAG-ASA in its forecast claimed that apart from Mindanao the immediate climate strain is also concentrated in Luzon, where 13 provinces including Abra, Apayao, Bataan, Benguet, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, La Union, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Pangasinan, and Zambales are expected to face potential "Dry Conditions," defined as two consecutive months of below-normal rainfall.