BAGABAG, NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines – Officials of Cagayan Valley and the Department of Agriculture wasted no time conducting cloud-seeding operations early Saturday as clouds rolled over the region.

The area is already feeling the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.

Circling the region, an airplane scattered salt in clouds over Magat Dam in the province of Isabela.

Isabela has been under a state of calamity since early this week.

“Sa wakas, makakalipad na. Kailangang-kailangan natin ito,” said Magat Dam plant manager Melvyn Eugenio.

Administrators of the Magat Dam hope the operation will be successful since the dam has already reached its critical level of 165 meters.

They said irrigation for farmlands will stop when the water level reaches the 147-meter mark.

About half of the cornfields in Region II are already affected by the El Niño. Cloud-seeding operations conducted in the past few days have reportedly failed.

For farmer Ismael Castro, all he can do now is to wait for the rain to come.

“Sana naman umulan na, kasi ang hirap talaga ngayon mag-alaga ng pananim,” he said.

Farmers like Castro have been waiting for rain for the past 2 months. And with the summer season already looming, there is no telling just how long they will have to keep waiting.