Imee Marcos says not enough warning from PAGASA about Kristine

Senator Imee Marcos on Sunday blamed the number of fatalities caused by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) on the supposed lack of prompt warnings from PAGASA.

Marcos on Sunday said that there were not enough warnings from the state weather bureau regarding the possible impact of Kristine, which killed at least 146 individuals and injured 91 others, while 19 were reported missing.

“Kung sana nasabihan nang maayos ng PAGASA ang LGU [local government unit] na gano’n kalakas ang ulan, sana’y nakalikas ng maaga at ‘di namatay ang napakarami,” she said in a statement.

(If PAGASA had properly informed the LGUs that the rains would be that strong, then evacuations could have been made earlier and so many deaths would have been avoided.)

“May sapat na pondo naman tayo, ngunit bakit sa tuwing may bagyo ay tila kulang ang mga abiso? Anong nangyari? Nagtaas pa ang badyet nila sa 2025, aba’y dapat hindi na mauulit ang ganitong sitwasyon,” she added.

(We have enough funds, but why is it that every time there is a storm it seems as though there are not enough warnings? What happened? Their budget was even increased for 2025, and this situation should not happen again.)

GMA News Online has reached out to PAGASA for comment on the matter, but no response has been received as of posting time.

The agency in a public weather forecast released at 4 a.m. on October 20 advised that a low pressure area (LPA) was expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) the same day, with rains projected over parts of Luzon.

The same day it advised that the LPA had a high chance to develop into a tropical depression, and bring rain over the country in the next 24 hours. PAGASA categorized it as a tropical depression later on.

PAGASA on October 21 said the tropical depression entered the PAR at 12 a.m. on October 21, and was named Kristine. The agency also said it could become a typhoon before it makes landfall.

During its peak, PAGASA in a Tropical Cyclone Bulletin noted that 16 areas were under Storm Signal No. 3, with Kristine packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, gustiness of up to 115 kph, and moving northwestward at 15 kph.

Once Kristine exited the PAR, PAGASA also warned that Kristine could loop over the West Philippine Sea and return to the PAR. This did not come into realization.

In its situation report as of 8 a.m. on Saturday, November 2, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the combined effects of Kristine and Super Typhoon Leon (international name: Kong-Rey) affected 2.179 million families or 8.534 individuals.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the brother of Senator Imee, has declared November 4, 2024 as a Day of National Mourning for the victims of Kristine. — BM, GMA Integrated News