‘Name typhoons after corrupt politicians’

MANILA, Philippines - An online petition has been launched, asking the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to name typhoons that enter the country after corrupt politicians.

As of yesterday afternoon, more than 1,500 people had signed the petition submitted by Ismael Tomelden of Marikina City in change.org (http://www.change.org/ph/mga-petisyon/pagasa-start-naming-typhoons-after corrupt-politicians-and-grafters-2).

“The devastation they cause is so great,” reads the petition. “Mother Nature can’t even compete with them for the destruction of life and property.”

Tomelden said naming typhoons after corrupt politicians would “be a constant reminder of how our hard-earned money has been stolen or misspent by corrupt politicians.”

The petition was filed amid the P10-billion pork barrel scam. Earlier, netizens noted in jest that PAGASA should name the typhoon next to Maring as Napoles, in reference to Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam.

But the tropical storm, which left one dead and affected 3,600 families, was named Nando. It exited the Philippine area of responsibility last Aug. 29.

The naming of typhoons is under the jurisdiction of the weather bureau. A revised list of tropical cyclone names is published on the website of PAGASA. The names, which are grouped in four sets, will be used until 2024.

Recently, PAGASA announced the delisting of typhoon name Labuyo after it left damage estimated at more than P1.4 billion.

PAGASA delists typhoon names that cause more than P1 billion in damage. Other delisted names are Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009, and Sendong, Pedring, Bebeng, Mina and Juaning in 2011.

The petition to name typhoons after corrupt politicians was not the first that was filed in connection with the pork barrel scam that has hit the headlines in the past months.

Earlier, former Philippine government officials filed a petition asking Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to conduct an impartial investigation on the use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the congressional pork barrel.

“Our lawmakers should serve as models for compliance with the law. Only then can they have the moral authority to exercise oversight powers over the two other branches of government,” reads the petition signed by former Department of Education (DepEd) undersecretary Isagani Cruz.

Other signatories include former education secretary Edilberto de Jesus, former environment secretary Fulgencio Factoran Jr., former finance secretary Jesus Estanislao, and former senator Vicente Paterno.

The petition has over 16,500 supporters as of yesterday afternoon.