Better weather equipment eyed

SEN. Juan Miguel Zubiri has pressed for better weather forecasting technology to enhance disaster preparedness and management as the Philippines again topped the 2024 World Risk Report. The senator urged the government to prioritize the upgrading of the equipment of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) to obtain more accurate weather forecasts. The chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee K tackled the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST). He sought additional resources for Pag-asa to address its shortcomings. Zubiri said that despite DoST's proposed budget of P49.253 billion for 2025, only P28.772 billion was approved in the National Expenditure Program, with Pag-asa receiving an increase of P290.915 million. He said that Pag-asa operates with limited equipment. "Only 11 of its 19 Doppler radars are functional, a critical tool for tracking rainfall, typhoons, and thunderstorms," he said. This lack of equipment hampers Pag-asa's ability to provide precise weather information. "This is a failure of us to inform the people about the weather, and it is a failure of us, as a government, to warn them about the geohazard areas," Zubiri said. The budget briefing coincided with the release of the 2024 World Risk Report, where the Philippines was identified as the most disaster-prone among 193 countries. Zubiri lamented that the country's insufficient weather forecasting capabilities led to the loss of lives during typhoons and other natural disasters. He said inaccurate weather warnings often lead to "unnecessary" class suspensions. "This has an adverse effect on the education of our students and on the economy as well," he said. With wrong weather assumptions, "work in national and local government as well as in some private companies can be suspended for several days, which can lead to loss or reduced productivity and adversely affect the economy," he said.