Davao City business chamber urges members to prepare El Niño continuity plans

The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) has called on its members to put business continuity plans in place ahead of El Niño, saying the weather event poses economic as well as environmental risks, according to Mindanao Times.

The appeal was made on Friday, Nov. 13, during the chamber's 11th General Membership Meeting for 2026 at Grand Men Seng Hotel in Davao City. Chamber president Mirasol Tiu said businesses and communities should expect several disruptions. "The effect of El Niño would be extreme heat, power interruption, water shortage, and supply delay," Tiu said.

At the same meeting, Engr. Bema C. Tajones, Weather Specialist I of the Mindanao PAGASA Regional Services Division, said all provinces in the Davao Region, including Davao City, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental and Davao Oriental, are projected to be under full drought conditions by the end of March and into April 2027.

Tiu, who is also chief operating officer of Davao Doctors Hospital, presented a nine-area El Niño readiness framework that she said helps health facilities sustain essential patient care. She explained that heat endangers patients, staff, medicines and cooling; power interruptions put pumps, equipment and IT systems at risk; water shortages affect sanitation and infection prevention; and supply delays threaten medicines, fuel, food and electrical supplies.

The framework covers 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. Each area has its own yes-or-no checklist.

The hospital also uses a three-level escalation system. The Watch level applies when water supply drops below five days, rationing is in place, or heat-related illnesses rise. The Alert level is triggered when water falls below three days, fuel below 72 hours, or critical services are lost. The Critical level applies when water is below 48 hours, fuel below 24 hours, or cooling and other critical services fail.

The chamber also inducted new members during the meeting: CARBCOCO Inc., business solutions provider Join2gether, food service provider Fine Dining Davao Food Services, and agricultural enterprise Avante Agri-Products Incorporated.