From an
article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
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In her State of the Nation Address last July 27, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said: “As a country in the path of typhoons and the Pacific Rim of Fire, we must be prepared, as the latest technology permits, to anticipate natural calamities when that is possible; to extend immediate and effective relief when it is not.” She also asserted that the mapping of flood-and landslide-prone areas is “almost complete,” citing the improvement of “early warning, forecasting and monitoring systems” and the installation of flood-control infrastructure in areas of Luzon, including the Pasig and Marikina rivers.
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So much for the preparation. If the money for the Le Cirque dinners and the ZTE-NBN deals were used to upgrade PAGASA's radars, upgrade the drainage system and buy disaster relief supplies. This calamity would never have happened.
They keep blaming that one month worth of rain fell in six hours. But in reality, it always rains in the Philippines and there's always flood even if only one day worth of rain fell. The problem has never been solved in the last 30 years, it's never gonna be solved in a hundred years unless government stops stealing money needed to upgrade infrastructure.
Dr. Prisco Nilo, head of PAGASA, says people should stop watching soap and start listening to news. As early as Thursday, he said, PAGASA was airing warnings of possible flooding and even raised storm signals the following day.
The problem is not the warning or watching soaps. The problem stems from the fact that PAGASA's forecast is always wrong.
Here was their forecast on Typhoon Ondoy.
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PAGASA chief weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz admitted that last Tuesday his agency was monitoring Ondoy as just a low-pressure area, while last Saturday’s Star quoted PAGASA Director Prisco Nilo as saying “the storm will not cross Metro Manila,” although the National Capital Region would experience “moderate to heavy rains” over the weekend. In this country where announcements of “low-pressure areas” come with boring regularity during the wet months, they are taken for granted. The “great flood” will change this attitude.
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"The storm will not cross Metro Manila:, "moderate to heavy rains". So you tell me, PAGASA itself said it will not cross Metro Manila. So what did people do? They went on their daily routines, not expecting to be caught in a massive flood or for some people, death.
Maybe PAGASA will be more accurate if somebody sues their ass off for gross negligence.
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