Former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday urged the government to prioritize upgrading the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) for more accurate and timely weather forecasts.
He stressed additional funding for Pagasa would enhance the country’s disaster preparedness and management.
Despite Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) proposed budget of P49.253 billion for 2025, only P28.772 billion was approved in the National Expenditure Program, with PAGASA receiving a modest increase of P290.915 million.
Zubiri pledged to defend the DOST’s budget in the Senate plenary, pointing out that PAGASA operates with limited equipment – only 11 of its 19 Doppler radars are functional, a critical tool for tracking rainfall, typhoons, and thunderstorms.
He said that this lack of equipment hampers PAGASA’s ability to provide precise weather information.
He also questioned why other countries can detect the time of rainfall down to the hour.
“For example, from 10 in the morning to noon, it will rain. Bring your umbrella. Here, they were always saying, ‘Today will be sunny, but with scattered rainshowers and storms.’ This means, it will rain, it might not rain,” said Zubiri.
He said these shortcomings calls for the allocation of additional resources to PAGASA.
PAGASA is an attached agency of DOST.
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