PAGASA hit for ‘complicated, confusing’ weather reports
Metro Manila, Philippines – Senators urged the state weather bureau to improve its weather advisories, citing complaints that they are confusing and difficult to understand.
“Ang tinatanong po ng ating mga kababayan, hindi po ba natin pwedeng mapasimplify yung ating mga weather bulletins na madaling maunawaan,” Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said during Wednesday night’s deliberations on the 2025 budget of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
[Translation: What our fellow countrymen are asking is, can't we simplify our weather bulletins so that they are easier to understand?]
“Instead of intertropical convergence zone, orange rainfall warning – sabihin na lang na sa ganitong oras ay papatak, babagsak ang dalawang libong drum na ulan sa lugar na ito at nagiisyu kami ng babala na kayo ay lumikas na,” Tolentino added.
[Translation: Instead of using terms like "intertropical convergence zone" or "orange rainfall warning," just say something like: "At this time, two thousand drums of rain will fall in this area, and we are issuing a warning for you to evacuate."]
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also questioned PAGASA’s color-coded rainfall advisories.
“There is no color naturally linked with alarm. But if we use numbers, you can say the degree of the alarm, 1,2,3,4,5 with 5 being the most alarming situation,” Pimentel said.
Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, speaking on behalf of PAGASA during the budget deliberations, said he had raised similar concerns with weather officials.
“Tama po ang sinabi ninyo and the secretary agrees with me, maybe they'll come up with a more simplified methodology na maiintindihan ng masang Pilipino,” Zubiri said, referring to Science Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr.
[Translation: What you said is correct, and the secretary agrees with me. Maybe they’ll come up with a more simplified methodology that the ordinary Filipino can understand.]
The lawmakers also conveyed some of the public’s concerns about PAGASA’s weather predictions, which serve as the basis for issuing tropical cyclone wind signals that authorities rely on for class and work suspensions.
“There was a time there was no signal we were asked to go to work, in fact the kids are already on their way to their respective schools and then all of a sudden there was a heavy rainfall and then in the middle of the day the schools were canceled,” Senator Joel Villanueva said.
“So ano ba talaga, your honors. Yun lang yung medyo nakakaconfuse (So what is it, really, your honors? That’s the part that’s a bit confusing),” he added.
Pimentel said PAGASA should “further rationalize” its methodologies.
In response, Zubiri lamented PAGASA’s lack of equipment, noting that it currently has only 11 functioning Doppler radars to forecast rainfall, with eight in need of repair. He added that each Doppler radar costs P250 million. He mentioned that PAGASA purchased one radar for Iloilo last year and another for Surigao del Sur this year.
“Minsan sinasabi natin na walang pag-asa ang PAGASA, pero (Sometimes we say there is no hope for PAGASA but) they are only as good as the equipment that they have and I feel sorry also for them,” Zubiri said.
He hopes that PAGASA could be given an additional budget to purchase more equipment, despite the limited fiscal space.
The Senate Committee on Finance allocated P2.08 billion for PAGASA next year, slightly increasing the P1.93 billion approved in the House version of the General Appropriations Bill.
