The town, Pantabangan, was submerged underwater in Luzon in the 1970s in order to build a reservoir that supplies water to regions ideal for rice farming. However, it can appear on exceedingly rare occasions such as this one. Currently, half of the Philippines is in the middle of a drought, with temperatures reaching highs across the country. This is the longest the town has been above water since the construction of the dam.
This extreme heat, however, has disrupted the lives of millions as schools have been shut down and office workers are asked to work from home. A meteorologist, Benison Estareja, said that the warmth could increase in the coming days. “The general impact of climate change on the Philippines is warmer temperatures. The heat that we are experiencing, it could steadily increase in the coming days,” he said.
The Philippines is in its hot and dry season, which is made worse by the El Niño, which describes the warming of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean. This nation is one of the most at-risk countries from the effects of climate change. During its wet season, it can bring about massive storms, such as Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which was one of the most powerful recorded in the world.
