PAGASA seeks funding for 9 new weather stations

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is seeking funding to build nine new weather stations for flood forecasting and early warning reports.

PAGASA Deputy Administrator Nathaniel Servando said the nine stations will be built in Cagayan Valley, Region IV-A, and Western Visayas, among others.

"We submitted our proposals for new stations actually including flood forecasting and warning centers. We requested for new PAGASA weather stations in Cagayan Valley. Ito yung naapektuhan ng baha, Calabarzon, Western Visayas," he said.

The PAGASA official said they are prioritizing provinces where there were no weather stations such as Marinduque and Batangas.

Currently, Servando said PAGASA has 82 facilities across the country.

Although he admitted that they have not identified the lots where these weather stations will be built, Servando said they intend to establish these facilities inside airports or state universities.

Senator Francis Tolentino asked PAGASA to provide the list of the nine areas where they will build the weather stations and specify if there are lots that are available for their construction.

Tolentino emphasized the need to empower PAGASA as some are just relying on international weather forecasts.

"Kailangan ang PAGASA. Yung iba nagre-rely na lang sa international, sa report na kung saan-saan galing," he said.

At this point, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said aside from putting up weather stations with actual people, there is a need to establish unmanned hydrometeorological stations to "get the information directly from the station."

"It's a system even kung may araw o wala, (through) satellite kayang kaya nila tingnan yon sir. So it's really the monitoring composed of space monitoring and ground monitoring including the gadgets," Solidum said.

Servando said the gadgets for manned weather stations are relatively cheaper but operational-wise, unmanned hydrometeorological stations are also less costly because the government doesn't need to fund the salaries of the PAGASA employees.

However, these unmanned weather stations are not proposed for 2023.

Servando explained that they did not include this under their 2023 budget proposal yet because there are ongoing projects that were funded by grants and these might be duplicated.

The Senate Finance Subcommittee had  approved the proposed budgets of the Department of Science and Technology, the Philippine Space Agency, and the Philippine Commission on Filipino Overseas for 2023.

The DOST is seeking P24.064 billion for its 2023 budget, PhilSA is requesting P756 million while the CFO is asking P156 million. — DVM, GMA News