Tuguegarao City (13 August) -- In spite of the intermittent rains brought by typhoon Chedeng, farmers in the Cordillera, Cagayan Valley should still brave for the effects of the dry spell now sweeping across the country, officials said yesterday.

Citing its forecast for August, PAG-ASA officer-in-charge Dr. Graciano Yumul said they expect the dry spell to continue in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, QuirinoPAG-ASA, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, La Union, Albay and Sorsogon.

Yumul said below normal rainfall conditions will be experienced over northern Panay Island, central and southern Mindanao while above normal rainfall conditions are expected in most areas of Southern Tagalog region, most parts of the Visayas, Palawan and the remaining parts of Mindanao.

"Chedeng is expected to intensify into a typhoon within the next 36 hours, and will enhance the southwest monsoon that will bring more rains," he said.

PAG-ASA added that another active low-pressure area was spotted east-northeast of the Bicol Region and weather forecasters expect it to develop into a tropical cyclone in the coming days.

Sustained rainfall

Department of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap also called on all Filipinos to bear with the present condition caused by global warming and urged everyone to cooperate with the government's various initiatives to mitigate the effects of the dry spell.

Yap, in a statement said that while typhoon Chedeng transformed water reservoirs and dams into their original water level, sustained rains is needed to sufficiently water other parts of the country such as the rice producing provinces of La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija among others due to minimal rain showers.

"We need a total of 5,000 liters or eight frums of water in order to produce a kilo of rice," he stressed.