Atty. Comafay sounds the alarm, calls for inquiry: Is Tabuk ready for heat-related illnesses as Super El Niño looms?

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — Sangguniang Panlungsod Member Atty. Errol Comafay Jr. submitted a proposed resolution on Thursday, October 8, 2026, calling for a formal legislative inquiry to assess the local health sector’s readiness for an intensifying "Super El Niño."

The legislative move comes at a critical time, as Tabuk City ranks number one in the top 10 list of areas in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) projected to be hardest hit by the severe weather phenomenon.

According to official documents stamped received at 1:30 PM by the Office of the Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the resolution formally requests the City Health Officer to attend the next council session. The inquiry aims to determine what active measures are being undertaken by the health department to combat heat-related illnesses and water-borne diseases. It also seeks to explore potential legislative actions the council can enact to mitigate local health risks.

In a social media statement posted online midday Thursday, Comafay emphasized the urgency of legislative foresight, noting that the inquiry is vital to protecting public health and crafting responsive local laws.

Citing warnings from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the resolution notes that the escalating Super El Niño is active in the Tropical Pacific and is projected to persist through the first half of 2027.

The measure highlights several severe health threats linked to the prolonged drought and extreme temperatures, including:

* Direct Heat Threats: Rising instances of heat exhaustion, dehydration, and potentially fatal heatstroke.

* Chronic Disease Risks: Thickening of the blood due to extreme warmth, which puts dangerous stress on vital organs and increases the risks of kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and heart strain, while complicating the management of pre-existing illnesses like asthma, hypertension, and diabetes.

* Vector-Borne Epidemics: Altered rainfall patterns that force residents to store water in open containers, alongside stagnant pools left by sporadic heavy rains, which rapidly accelerate the breeding of Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes—spiking local cases of dengue, malaria, chikungunya, and Zika.

The resolution has been formally submitted to the local council, with copies likewise directed to the City Health Office for immediate review ahead of the next scheduled legislative session.