'Pag-asa ng Bayan'

Due to our proximity to a large body of water like the Pacific Ocean, our country gets hit by an average of 20 typhoons every year — Ondoy having been the deadliest in recent history so far. But because most Filipinos have a short memory, we tend to forget how Typhoon Ondoy inundated many parts of Metro Manila and Luzon, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed billions worth of property. But to those people who were severely affected by the damage to infrastructure and agriculture, the most devastating effect was the psychological trauma it caused many of them who now live in constant fear of flooding every time it starts raining hard.

Typhoon Basyang, the first major typhoon to hit the country this year, killed 38 people, left hundreds of passengers stranded as flights had to be either canceled or diverted, and put almost the whole of Metro Manila in total darkness. Damage to crops and property has been estimated at more than P147 million, a small fraction compared to the damage caused by Ondoy. But nevertheless, this is a grim reminder of the destruction that killer typhoons can bring. It was very depressing to see hundreds of dead fish floating along Pasig River, but even more depressing were the people who were surreptitiously getting some of the dead fish — obviously to bring home to eat.

President Noy was obviously exasperated when he met with PAGASA officials. But the reality is PAGASA is one of those with the least budget allocations, and yet it is one of the most important agencies in the country that could literally save billions and more importantly, save thousands of lives.

For years, PAGASA (which means “hope” in Filipino) has had to endure being the brunt of jokes among Filipinos every time they would forecast strong rains — and the exact opposite would happen. Some even say “walang pag-asa” or hopeless, but the fact is, government has neglected to upgrade its equipment. The weather bureau’s storm tracking device is “hopelessly” outdated, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are still using some of the instruments donated by the US Army after World War II since they have always operated on a meager budget.

The weather bureau is only able to issue updates every five or six hours - and because of the erratic nature of tropical storms, anything can happen in between those hours. However, the agency also came under fire since foreign news networks like CNN were able to predict that Typhoon Basyang would hit Luzon and go near Metro Manila, plus the fact that several websites on the Internet have already predicted that the typhoon would hit Metro Manila directly.

But then again, because of the low pay, a number of the country’s top meteorologists have already been pirated by other countries, the latest of which is Nathaniel Cruz or “Mang Tani,” who has become a familiar face among Filipinos over the last couple of years. And who could blame them? The salaries offered by foreign weather agencies is reportedly 10 times more than the pay they get from the Philippine weather bureau.

As is always the case, we react to a problem instead of preparing for it. PAGASA now claims it needs P1.8 billion to automate its communications system to make sure that transmission is not disrupted despite the bad weather. And if you really look at it, this amount is nothing compared to the damage the country suffers every time tropical storms hit us. Miss “Senator Environment” Loren Legarda as always is quick to the draw when it comes to disaster reduction, filing a bill to create a PAGASA Modernization Fund in the amount of P5 billion — with the money to be used exclusively for the purchase of modern equipment and communication systems. Obviously, government has to be proactive because as Loren correctly pointed out, the weather agency’s inadequacy enhances the vulnerability of the people, the environment and the economy.

Newly-appointed DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo is also proposing the establishment of locally-based forecasting facilities, something which has proved successful in preventing typhoon casualties in his hometown in Naga when he was still mayor. Robredo said having their own typhoon tracker helped them trace the direction of the typhoon in relation to their area. The tracker costs around P100,000 — not a bad investment considering its potential in preventing millions worth of damage to crops, livestock, property. Most of all, it can prevent the unnecessary loss of lives because it will help local government units independently prepare for typhoon-related disasters and emergencies.

The new administration of President Aquino has promised a lot of changes. Two excellent Cabinet appointments that have made people hopeful or feel “may pag-asa” are DOH Secretary Enrique Ona and Environment Secretary Ramon Paje. Health Secretary Ona supports the reproductive health bill, which is convincing a lot of people that this administration has a clear population management policy. On the other hand, Environment Secretary Mon Paje said he will focus on pollution and climate change mitigation. After all, there is no denying that unmitigated population growth is interlinked with the problem of poverty and pollution — issues that continue to impact the quality of life in this country.

With an 88 percent trust rating, President Noy is obviously considered by a large majority of Filipinos as the “pag-asa ng bayan.” If in fact Noynoy Aquino can accomplish even just 50 percent of the things he has promised to do in the next six years, then there will be no question — he would have been the most promising President that would have accomplished the most.

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]