Filtered By: Topstories
News

In Bicol, a private center warns gov't of coming storms


Throughout the country, Pagasa (“hope") has also come to mean “weather forecaster" since it is the acronym for the state meteorological agency. But somewhere in the Bicol region, there is another source of hope when a weather disturbance threatens. Like other Bicol provinces, Camarines Sur is among the country’s most typhoon-hit provinces, and had to brace itself against all four cyclones that hit Luzon in quick succession since end-September. But thanks to the province’s Typhoon Preparedness Center, local government officials were able to get weather advisories that the state weather bureau, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), could not always provide. “Malaking bagay po talaga ang Typhoon Preparedness Center namin dito. Nag-issue sila ng hourly updates lalo na ‘yung within the six-hour interval ng Pagasa (Our Typhoon Preparedness Center has really been a big help here. They issue hourly updates especially those within Pagasa’s six-hour interval)," said Edison Petalio of the Camarines Sur Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC).

The Typhoon Preparedness Center in Naga City provides "localized" weather forecasts to the provincial government of Camarines Sur to warn residents of coming weather disturbances. Photo from the NCF-TPC website
The Naga College Foundation, a non-government organization, established its Typhoon Preparedness Center (TPC) six months ago with the aim of providing Bicolanos with early warning whenever a weather disturbance nears the region. Since then, the TPC has become what PDCC officials described as a “good supplementary data source" to information provided by the state weather bureau, which usually posts storm bulletins every six hours. “In between gaps, may nakukuhanan tayo ng (we have another source of) information," Petalio said. TPC Director David Michael Padua, known to locals as “Mr. Typhoon," said the main purpose of the private weather station is to more thoroughly inform people in Camarines Sur of approaching weather disturbances. TPC relies on forecasts of foreign weather agencies, which Padua and two other volunteers translate into information useful for their own local weather forecasts, to alert the provincial and other local governments of Camarines Sur. For instance, when cyclone “Santi" battered the nearby province of Camarines Norte last week, the TPC posted weather advisories in its website every three hours. These weather advisories have been localized, providing information such as typhoon location and strength specifically for Camarines Sur’s four districts. “Yung ginagawa namin, para talaga sa karaniwang tao. Para maalis ang kanilang pangamba at maging handa sila (What we’re doing is really for ordinary folk, for them to get rid of their worries and to be prepared)," he said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV. The center also conducts trainings and seminars for government officials, students and teachers, for them to have a better understanding of weather forecasting and early warning during typhoons. Working with local gov’t, media Padua, a University of the Philippines geography graduate who has been doing weather forecasts since 1996, said meteorology has always been his passion. “Kahit noong bata pa ako, nae-excite ako kapag may bagyo. Lumalabas pa ako ng bahay kapag ganoon (Ever since I was a kid, I get excited whenever there is a typhoon. I even go out of the house in such weather)," Padua said. He opted to go back to his home province after finishing his studies to do what he loves best—weather forecasting. Luckily, the NCF, which one of his relatives own, gave him the opportunity to do so. Although a private center, the TPC closely coordinates with local government officials to achieve its goals. “Nakikipag-ugnayan talaga kami sa local government para matulungan namin sila, at matulungan din nila kami (We link up with local governments to help them, and also for them to help us)," Padua said. He added that the Camarines Sur provincial government is planning to provide the center with a Doppler radar (a modern weather radar that uses the Doppler effect; see Doppler radar) for better rainfall forecasting. The TPC is also tapping local media in Camarines Sur and the Internet for it to be able to disseminate its weather advisories. “Sa Internet kasi, halos lahat ng data, nandiyan na. Kailangan na lang ipaintindi sa layman (That’s because you can find almost all the data in the Internet, and need only to explain them in layman terms)," Padua said. He likewise maintains a website called Typhoon2000.com, which he describes as a “one-stop shop" for information Filipinos need for a coming weather disturbance.
Typhoon2000.com, maintained by Padua, serves as a "one-stop shop" for people looking for forecasts from different weather agencies.
In this site, which he maintains using his own money, Padua posts links not just to Pagasa but to a big number of foreign weather forecasting agencies and sources of satellite imagery, including the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center and the Japan Meteorological Agency. “Wala akong masabi sa accuracy ng forecasts nila, lalo na ‘yung sa US at sa Japan. Sana mag-improve ang Pagasa kasi nagde-deteriorate na ang forecasts nila," he said. (I can’t complain about the accuracy of their forecasts, especially those of the US and Japan. I hope Pagasa improves because its own forecasts are deteriorating.) He added that Pagasa should continue training and research on weather forecasting, since the country is geographically located in a region prone to extreme disturbances such as typhoons. “We are the number one na pinapasok ng bagyo sa mundo. Dapat tayo rin ang nangunguna sa research. Nasa gobyerno din ‘yan kasi (In the world, we are the number one country visited by cyclones. So we should also be the leader in research. It depends on the government, really)," he said. Padua said that TPC is still relatively new, and is trying to do further research in storm tracking in the Philippines in the hope of better informing people about weather disturbances entering the country. DOST not keen on local storm trackers But Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Estrella Alabastro is not keen on having independent local storm trackers. “It is something we cannot prevent, but the disadvantage is local trackers like these do not have accountability. These are just private persons. Sa Pagasa kasi, kapag medyo off ‘yung forecasts natin (That’s because with Pagasa, when our forecasts are a bit off), we really stand by it," Alabastro said in a separate interview with GMANews.TV. Alabastro said it is better if local storm trackers like TPC will coordinate with Pagasa or DOST. “Mas maganda pa kung makipag-ugnayan na lang siya sa amin (It would be better if he simply links up with us). (We) should listen naman to our institutions. These institutions we have are really accountable to us," she said. Alabastro added that her department already has a modernization plan for the state weather bureau, which involves the procurement and upgrading of weather forecasting equipment, as well as the training of personnel. “Pagasa has improved quite a bit. But we need resources. The President is good in attending to our needs. It might take time, but we will get there. We just have to have the will to do things that needs to be done," she said. – GMANews.TV
LOADING CONTENT