{"id":71476,"date":"2016-02-27T12:07:18","date_gmt":"2016-02-27T17:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=71476"},"modified":"2025-01-20T15:04:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T20:04:03","slug":"recto-wants-pagasas-php3-b-modernization-fund-released-to-cover-php2-1-b-budget-cut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2016\/02\/27\/recto-wants-pagasas-php3-b-modernization-fund-released-to-cover-php2-1-b-budget-cut\/","title":{"rendered":"Recto wants PAGASA\u2019s Php3-B modernization fund released to cover Php2.1-B budget cut"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_41751\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41751\" style=\"width: 753px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/ralph-recto-mamasapano-clash-senate-hearing-e1427169933998.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-41751\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-41751\" src=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/ralph-recto-mamasapano-clash-senate-hearing-e1427169933998.jpg\" alt=\"(Photo courtesy of Sen. Grace Poe's Facebook page)\" width=\"753\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/ralph-recto-mamasapano-clash-senate-hearing-e1427169933998.jpg 753w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/ralph-recto-mamasapano-clash-senate-hearing-e1427169933998-300x215.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 753px) 100vw, 753px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-41751\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Senator Ralph Recto (Photo courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sengracepoe\" target=\"_blank\">Sen. Grace Poe&#8217;s Facebook page<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>MANILA\u2014As the rainless El Ni\u00f1o swings to the other extreme of a rainy La Ni\u00f1a, the government was urged Saturday to release funds for the equipment upgrade of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) pursuant to a law modernizing the weather agency.<\/p>\n<p>Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto over the weekend said an initial Php3 billion for new weather forecasting facilities has been authorized under the PAGASA Modernization Act, which President Aquino signed into law on Nov. 3, 2015 as Republic Act 10692. Recto is principal sponsor of said law.<\/p>\n<p>With the possibility of a La Ni\u00f1a, the release of said money, Recto stressed, \u201cis crucial as PAGASA actually incurred a budget cut this year, from Php3.44 billion in 2015 to Php1.21 billion for 2016.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The veteran lawmaker said the weather bureau\u2019s capital outlay budget, or what is earmarked for buildings and equipment, \u201cgot the deepest cut, from Php2.47 billion to Php344 million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a Php2.1 billion reduction. It can, however, be recouped if the Php3 billion for new equipment under the PAGASA Modernization Act will be made available to them,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n<p>Although many equipment and weather stations have in recent years been bought and installed, like the country\u2019s 13th (out of the planned 15) Doppler radar, which was inaugurated in Iloilo Friday, \u201cPAGASA needs to have more installed in this typhoon-prone country of ours,\u201c Recto said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:absolute;left:-99195px;\"> buy erythromycin online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalterpenes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/png\/erythromycin.html\">https:\/\/www.medicalterpenes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/png\/erythromycin.html<\/a> no prescription pharmacy <\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Recto said PAGASA had only Php4.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:absolute;left:-99195px;\"> buy flagyl online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalterpenes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/png\/flagyl.html\">https:\/\/www.medicalterpenes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/png\/flagyl.html<\/a> no prescription pharmacy <\/div>\n<p>2 million this year \u201cto install, repair and maintain telemetering and multiplex system for flood forecasting and warning system in 18 major river basins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In its performance pledge in the 2016 budget, PAGASA guarantees \u201ca 100-percent accurate and robust science-based\u201d weather related information and services in \u201c28 vulnerable provinces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Recto. the PAGASA Modernization Law lists the programs which must be funded so it can deliver reliable, timely and localized weather forecast.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;vision is for PAGASA to go local&#8221;, and this would need deploying weather equipment in as many areas in the country as possible, Recto explained.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We want a weather bureau to tell us when and where it would rain, so that the man behind the carabao in Mindoro will know when to plow the field and the man behind the wheel in Malabon will know when to plod through flooded streets,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>The senator urged the government to give PAGASA the funds to allow it to buy the equipment needed to make the system for localized weather forecasting fully operational.<\/p>\n<p>The PAGASA Modernization Act centers on seven modernization components: equipment and operational techniques, data center, information services, human resources, regional and field weather presence, research and global linkages.<\/p>\n<p>To discourage PAGASA personnel from &#8220;leaving the Philippine area of responsibility&#8221; for higher pay abroad, the law authorizes a &#8220;package of personnel retention schemes,&#8221; Recto stressed.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:absolute;left:-99195px;\"> buy bull 100 online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalterpenes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/png\/bull-100.html\">https:\/\/www.medicalterpenes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/png\/bull-100.html<\/a> no prescription pharmacy <\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The law also authorizes salary and other compensation adjustments and funding for training and scholarships.<\/p>\n<p>The Batangeno senator said the &#8220;ferocious, fickle and frequent storms&#8221; caused by climate change call for &#8220;a strengthened weather agency which can warn and guide the public on how to respond to threats to lives and properties.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Recto said a parade of cyclones from 2004 to 2014 left 14,150 dead, 46,691 injured, 4,169 missing; damaged 5.5 million houses and destroyed P338 billion worth of properties.<\/p>\n<p>Only last Thursday, PAGASA warned the public on the possibility of a La Ni\u00f1a event occurring later this year.<\/p>\n<p>This phenomenon is the opposite of El Ni\u00f1o and is characterized by above normal rainfall, strong monsoon activity, and formation of more tropical cyclones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MANILA\u2014As the rainless El Ni\u00f1o swings to the other extreme of a rainy La Ni\u00f1a, the government was urged Saturday &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":41751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1145,16,95],"tags":[35],"class_list":["post-71476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headline","category-news","category-news-ph","tag-original","mauthors-sammy-f-martin","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71476"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":286224,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71476\/revisions\/286224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}