Palace: El Niño Preparations Must Be Taken Seriously, ‘Obstructionists’ Need ‘Baldeng Utak’

Filipinos must take seriously President Marcos' advice to collect rainwater using buckets or pails (balde) and other measures in anticipation of a "super El Niño," Malacañang said on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Palace press officer Claire Castro said the use of buckets to collect rainwater is a practical measure to help households prepare for potential water shortages.

Castro made the remark after the President faced criticisms over his advice to Filipinos to prepare buckets to store rainwater.

She said Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian would produce an instructional video demonstrating how to filter collected rainwater for appropriate use.

“Ang bawat pagtalakay dito, ang bawat mensahe, ang bawat suggestion, ang bawat mga binibigay na aral sa atin ng gobyerno at ng Pangulo, ito ay dapat na siniseryoso (Every discussion regarding this (El Niño), every message, every suggestion, and every lesson imparted to us by the government and the President—all of these must be taken seriously),” Castro said at a media briefing.

Castro noted the President met anew with various agencies at the Palace on Tuesday to ensure the country’s preparedness for El Niño.

“Ang binabanggit ng Pangulo patungkol sa balde, saan po ba tayo mag-iipon ng tubig?

(About the buckets mentioned by the President—where exactly are we supposed to store water?)" Castro asked.

She said storing water in buckets is a common practice in other countries too.

“Hindi po ito pagkaniya-kaniya. Kung ito lang po ang nadinig na patungkol sa balde, ang mas maganda po, umupo sila at makinig kung ano ang sinasabi ng Pangulo (This isn't about acting on one's own. If this [use of buckets] is the only thing they’ve heard, it would be better for them to sit down and listen to what the President is saying),” she said.

Castro also has a message to “obstructionists,” who she said always find fault in every decision of the President.

“Kailangan po talaga natin ng balde – baldeng utak para maintindihan ninyo po kung ano ang plano ng Pangulo (We really need buckets—buckets of brains—for you to understand what the President's plan is),” she said.

At a press conference in Singapore last Sunday, Oct. 11, Marcos encouraged the public to reuse water and revive a “green revolution” to ease the impact of a super El Niño.

“Part of that public service and those public service messages will be collect, buy buckets so that when it rains, you can collect everything,” Marcos said.