MANILA - Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has ordered all government agencies to prepare for unusually heavy rains this year, brought on by the "La Nina" weather phenomenon, a presidential statement said yesterday.

All government departments have been ordered to get ready for weather conditions with the Budget Department taking the lead to make sure that funds will be available for measures to deal with the rains and any damage they may cause.

The agriculture sector is expected to bear the brunt of "La Nina" but the public works and environment sectors are also likely to be affected, the palace said. The government weather station has warned that since November, there have been indications of signs of "cooler than average sea surface temperatures and the persistently stronger than average low-level winds," indicating there will be a "La Nina" effect, bringing heavier rains at least until May.

The Philippines normally experiences a dry season from March to May and any strong rains in that period would disrupt planting and construction schedules.

The country has been equally at threat from the "El Nino" effect, when the threat is drought rather than floods.*AFP

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