THE DAVAO City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII), on Friday, Nov. 13, urged business members to establish a business continuity plan amid El Niño’s potential implications for businesses and communities.
During its 11th General Membership Meeting (GMM) for 2026 at Grand Men Seng Hotel, Davao City, DCCIII president Mirasol Tiu said El Niño is not only an environmental concern but also an economic and business challenge.
“The effect of El Niño would be extreme heat, power interruption, water shortage, and supply delay,” Tiu said.
Engr. Bema C. Tajones, Weather Specialist I of the Mindanao PAGASA Regional Services Division, reported that all provinces in the Davao Region (Davao City, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental) are projected to experience full drought conditions by the end of March and into April 2027.
Tiu, who is also the chief operating officer of Davao Doctors Hospital, presented a nine-area El Niño readiness framework to members of a business chamber, saying the tool helps health facilities keep essential patient care running.
She said El Niño threatens hospitals, noting extreme heat endangers patients, staff, medicines, and cooling, and power interruptions put pumps, cooling systems, equipment, and IT systems at risk.
Meanwhile, water shortages affect sanitation, cleaning, and infection prevention while supply delays threaten medicines, fuel, food, and electrical supplies.
The framework covers nine readiness areas: water security; heat, air-conditioning, and power; patient care and surge capacity; infection prevention; workforce protection; supply chain and finance; command and communication; typhoon and flood; and technology and cybersecurity, with each area having its own yes-or-no checklist.
The hospital also uses a three-tier escalation system, each with its own triggers, such as Watch, Alert, and Critical.
Watch (prepare and monitor) is when water supply is below five days, there is water rationing, and there is a rise in heat-related illnesses; Alert (activate mitigation): water below three days, the fuel is below 72 hours, and there is a loss of critical services; and Critical (protect life and continuity of service): when water is below 48 hours, fuel is below 24 hours, and there is failure of cooling or other critical services.
She emphasized that having an El Niño readiness plan is critical to keep business operations running.
During the meeting, the chamber also inducted new members: CARBCOCO Inc.; business solutions provider Join2gether; food service provider Fine Dining Davao Food Services; and agricultural enterprise Avante Agri-Products Incorporated.
