Pagasa wrong again SILVER LINING Dean Ernest Maceda 07/16/2010

Pagasa wrong again

SILVER LINING Dean Ernest Maceda 07/16/2010 At the National Disaster Coordinating Council meeting Wednesday morning, P-Noy asked Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical And Astonomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Director Prisco Nilo why they did not accurately predict the path of typhoon “Basyang.” It hit Metro Manila, Laguna, Batangas and Central Luzon instead of the Ilocos provinces and was stronger than predicted. Laguna and Batangas were hardest hit by Basyang together with Real and Infanta, Quezon. Laguna and Batangas residents complain that they were caught off-guard because there was no previous warning that Basyang would hit their provinces hard. So far, eight persons died and eight missing in Laguna while eight people died in Batangas and Cavite. In Mariveles, nine vessels sank at the port. Once more, the excuse given by Director Nilo was the need to upgrade the equipment of Pagasa. After every typhoon, that’s the excuse of Pagasa. After typhoons Reming, Frank, Ondoy and Pepeng, hundreds of millions were released to upgrade Pagasa’s equipment, especially three Doppler radars. Up to now they are not operational. Maybe what needs to be upgraded is the director of Pagasa, not the equipment. There are too many unnecessary deaths in every typhoon. *** Start in your backyard. Newly installed Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo announced that President Aquino ordered him to stop all jueteng operations. Let’s wait and see if Robredo can succeed in this task. No administration has successfully eradicated jueteng.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100716com5.html

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