MANILA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) urged all concerned agencies on Friday to take "a holistic and proactive approach" to mitigate the impact of the prolonged drought or dry spell affecting the country.

NEDA said 16 provinces in the Philippines are reeling from drought and 55 more provinces are experiencing dry spell as of March 19.

NEDA, the Philippines' independent economic development and planning agency, said agencies should focus on the five critical areas - food security, water security, energy security, health, and safety.

"We cannot stop El Nino, but we can make swift and effective moves to soften its impact on the lives of our countrymen and the economy," Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.

The Philippine Department of Agriculture reported that as of March 18, 2019, damage to the agricultural sector has reached 1.33 billion pesos (roughly 25.3 million U.S. dollars) affecting 70,353 hectares and a total 84,932 farmers all over the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the Philippines will experience "below normal to way below normal rainfall," particularly in the main Luzon island, Visayas region in the central Philippines and Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

PAGASA defines drought as three consecutive months of way below normal rainfall condition. The dry spell, meanwhile, means three consecutive months of below normal rainfall condition.