Marcos to PAGASA: Be dynamic in weather forecast

MANILA, Philippines — Amid criticisms over lack of enough warnings on Tropical Storm Enteng, President Marcos directed yesterday officials of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to be more “dynamic” in making forecasts and issuing public advisories, especially during weather disturbances.

Marcos conducted an aerial inspection of Marikina and Antipolo, Rizal yesterday afternoon to check on the damage brought by the storm. The presidential helicopter flew over some barren mountainous areas of Rizal that Marcos said is a primary cause of the landslides and flooding that claimed lives.

“We will have to look very, very closely at your forecasting, the meteorologists – meteorology assessment is the one that will guide our response,” the President said during a briefing with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

“And PAGASA, you’re going to have to be the guide what will really happen,” he said.

The President noted the task of weather forecasting has become “more and more difficult” because of climate change, since weather systems now develop much more quickly than they used to, he added.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda was among those who criticized the weather bureau for its alleged failure to provide enough warning to local government units before the onslaught of Enteng.

PAGASA officials asserted that enough advisories were issued before the onslaught of Enteng, insisting that it applied the PAR plus five, meaning, the Philippine area of responsibility is expanded by about five degrees in case a typhoon develops outside the PAR.

The damage of Enteng to the agriculture sector, particularly in the Bicol region, has reached P350.85 million and is expected to further increase, according to data from the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Based on the latest report of the DA’s Operations Center, as of 8 a.m. yesterday, the typhoon has devastated 8,893 hectares of agricultural areas of rice, corn and high value crops with production loss of 14,814 metric tons (MT) affecting 13,623 farmers.

Bulk of the damage was registered in rice plantations, totaling P333.08 million with