The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is collaborating with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other government agencies for cloud seeding to help the provinces affected by drought due to El Nino.

"In relation to El Nino.. we have continuous efforts in collaboration with the DA and LGU of Isabela," PAF spokesperson Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo said on Tuesday.

"Recently, cloud seeding operations were conducted using a chartered plane with Air Force weather Officers and technicians facilitating the operations," she added.

The DA said "cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that improves a cloud’s ability to produce rain by introducing tiny nuclei (in this case, sodium chloride) into certain types of subfreezing low clouds."

"These nuclei provide a base for rain to form. After cloud seeding takes place, the newly formed raindrops quickly grow and fall from the clouds back to the surface of the Earth," it added.

Roberto Busania, regional technical director for operations and extension of DA-Region 2, said DA -Regional Field Office 2 (RFO 2) has coordinated through online conferences with the Philippine Air Force, Bureau of Soils and Water Management, DA- Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Region 2 and planned for the cloud seeding operation before it was conducted.

“We have been busy since February 19, 2024, actually, as we monitored cloud formation using available models online,” Busania said.

According to the DA, Paul Vincent Balao, the focal person of regional corn expressed hope that the cloud seeding operation will help the corn farmers as the "crops are in vegetative and reproductive stage."

“We are hoping that the cloud seeding operations can bring relief to our corn farmers in our region as it’s needed at this time. The crops are in vegetative and reproductive stages,” he said.

Castillo said the government is also planning to conduct cloud seeding operations to suppress the forest fire in Benguet.

In Benguet it is still in the planning stage and it is related to forest fire suppression. Using PAF aircraft (LC 210) we intend to produce clouds that can potentially bring in rain to wet the areas in Benguet to prevent the spread of forest fires," she said. Robina Asido/DMS