ILOILO CITY, April 23 -- The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) Western Visayas has raised its operation alert status to "blue" effective Tuesday to enhance its monitoring and coordination for El Nino-related incidents.

Memorandum No. 25, signed by Civil Defense Regional Director Raul Fernandez, also ordered the simultaneous activation of clusters on logistics, law and order, food and non-food, health, and education clusters to facilitate emergency and humanitarian assistance.

The alert status was prompted by below-normal rainfall conditions experienced over the past months, leading to adverse effects on water resources, particularly in the provinces of Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, and Guimara...