By NITZ ARANCON, Correspondent THE Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) yesterday said there are no indications that the country would experience the El Niño phenomenon this year. “Wala tay El Niño karon pero kon  na-a man ugaling, ang ipikto niana,  didto pa sa mga December,” said Luz Mercado, a weather specialist at Pagasa’s Mindanao station in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental. The El Niño has been blamed for the prolonged dry spell that gripped the country last year. The phenomenon is associated with a band of warm water in the Pacific Ocean that impact on weather patterns. Meanwhile, Pagasa said the dry season is not about to end yet despite the  afternoon and night rains here. Mercado said the Pagasa forecast is that the rainy season would begin in the last week of May of the second week of June. She said it is not advisable for farmers to start planting now because the the rainfall volume is insufficient. “Kining mga pag-ulan nga atong  masinati panahon sa hapon o sa gabi-e,  dala lang kini sa localized thunderstorms ug dili pa kini suspisinti nga makapabuhi sa mga tanom kay  wala pa gyud ang insaktong panahon sa ting-ulan,” Mercado said.