Palace spokesperson Undersecretary Claire Castro defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday after earning criticism from his recent remarks for Filipinos to buy buckets and use it to collect rain water amid the threat of strong El Nino.

Castro stressed that Marcos is taking the possible threat of El Nino "seriously". El Nino, which is characterized by dry spells and short term heavy rainfall, began in the Philippines last September and is forecast to peak around the first quarter of 2027.

"This is no joke. The President is taking seriously what is happening, what has already happened, and what might worsen in the coming months. Every discussion here, every message, every suggestion, every lesson taught to us by the government and the President—these must be taken seriously," Castro said.

"Regarding what the President mentioned about a bucket, where are we going to store water? It's not just the Philippines; other countries are truly storing water using buckets. This isn't about the government abandoning its people," she added.

Castro said the Social Work and Development Secretary Win Gatchalian will produce a video to teach the public on how to filter rain water.

"All of us need to observe, be critical, and not just focus on the negative, because when you are negative, you will not learn," she stressed.

Marcos reconvened Tuesday all key government agencies to focus on ways to mitigate the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on food, water supply, and energy.

Castro said among those present were the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), where steps for the agricultural sector were discussed.

Castro added that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), along with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System MWSS), and Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), focused on effective measures for water management and irrigation. Robina Asido/PHS