PAGASA warns public of possible return of haze

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Tuesday reminded the public of the possible return of the haze originated from the Indonesian fire.

Officer-in-charge PAGASA’s Climate Monitoring and Predictions Section Anthony Lucero said the country can experience haze again once a tropical cyclone brings ushers it in from Indonesia.

Lucero explained that Typhoon Lando caused the occurence of haze in the country.

He said the Philippines is fortunate that the haze lingered only for a limited period of time.

“If there tropical cyclone is going to cross the Philippines again then the circulation might bring in the smoke coming from Indonesia, so we will be lucky if the tropical cyclone will just go over our fence or the Philippine Area of Responsibility,” Lucero said in an interview over the ABS-CBN News Channel.

The weather bureau official said there are only three tropical cyclones expected to enter the country before the year ends. Two are likely to occur in November, while the rest may enter in December.

“We are still expecting three tropical cyclones before the year ends,” Lucero said.

The recent haze incident was said to be the worst of its kind, according to the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio.

Ignacio said government agencies are formulating a haze protocol for similar incidents.

“It was a consensus that this is the worst haze episode ever experienced by the region," Ignacio said.

"There is an ASEAN-specialized meteorological center based in Singapore that monitors the haze through satellite imagery and they confirmed that the haze experienced from southern Philippines Mindanao up to central Philippines came from Indonesia,” he added.