THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
The parade of major weather disturbances was unprecedented. Even our elders in Rizal could not recall when the country had to contend with six typhoons in a month. Kristine, Leon, Marce, Nika, Ofel, and Pepito battered Luzon and portions of the Visayas, leaving a deadly trail of deaths, dislocation, and damage to private property and public infrastructure.
We share our countrymen’s sentiment that the destruction could have been greater if we had not known in advance the oncoming weather disturbances, their intensity and direction, and the areas in the country that they would affect.
Timely, relevant, and understandable information had been true life-savers.
For this, as we enjoy the calm of the skies with the exit of Pepito, we would like to join the rest of the nation in saluting two institutions — the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), as well as traditional and social media.
These past few weeks, we appreciated the value of three forms of social media – Facebook, YouTube, and X (Twitter). These digital platforms proved efficient in disseminating information to our constituents. We are now all practically “digital natives” — we are hardly ever off social media. This proved to be a blessing as this sustained connection with digital media helped us connect to our relevant public, and ensure they got the needed information and instruction.
The role of social media in times of calamities has been recognized by a number of international organizations. Among them is the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC), an organization formed by the alliance of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
In an article, the GDPC said, “Social media platforms have revolutionized disaster management by facilitating efficient communication, information sharing, and collaboration among stakeholders.”
“These technologies enable authorities, disaster management professionals, and at-risk communities to collect information and communicate live-saving messages faster and more effectively,” it added. The GPDC’s statement is based on the fact that, as of January this year, there are five billion people worldwide using social media – about 63 percent of the global population. On average, they spend 2.5 hours a day on social media.
Meanwhile, traditional media, particularly the old reliable radio, proved its importance once more in times of calamities. When the electricity supply is cut off, the internet connection goes off, as well. Electronic gadgets could not be recharged. This is when the reliability of AM radio and its battery-operated cousin, the transistor radio, comes into play.
The fact is, before the advent of social media, AM radio was the go-to medium in times of risks and disasters. The famous “weathermen” of the now-defunct Weather Bureau announced typhoon signals using this medium in tandem with the respected broadcasters of eras gone by.
There will be nothing to say to the media without the timely and relevant information that PAGASA comes up with.
More than ever, we appreciate the vital role that this agency plays in our lives as a nation and as a people constantly exposed to the hazards wrought by nature. PAGASA’s regular updates on social media kept us abreast of the path of the weather disturbances, giving us ample time to mobilize disaster management personnel and resources and evacuate residents living in high-risk areas.
We owe much for the present capability of the modern-day PAGASA to the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., the father of our present Chief Executive. Our elders recall that PAGASA used to be a mere “Weather Bureau,” the offspring of a 19th-century meteorological observatory built and run by Jesuit priests in Padre Faura, Manila.
According to our elders, President Marcos Sr. saw the need to accelerate the modernization of the agency following the large number of casualties in the aftermath of three super typhoons that hit the country in 1970 – Sening, Titang, and Yoling. They hit the country around the same time of the year as the parade of six recent typhoons.
We understand that the agency was first placed under the Department of National Defense. The late President Corazon Aquino transferred the oversight of the agency to the National Science and Technology Authority, which was the forerunner of today’s Department of Science and Technology.
With the advent of the era of PAGASA came a number of the country’s most familiar and most beloved voices and faces – those of the weathermen. It began with the venerable Roman Kintanar, one of the early directors of the agency. Then, there was Amado Pineda – perhaps the most familiar, the most beloved, and the most mimicked of all weathercasters. There was also the late Ernie Baron and Nathaniel “Mang Tani” Cruz. More recently, Christopher Perez and the younger batch of PAGASA weathercasters have been involved.
We salute these institutions as our countrymen begin to pick up the pieces and rebuild their homes and lives in the aftermath of six recent howlers.
We thank them for providing us with timely and reliable information which helped us make decisions that saved lives and properties.
(The author is the mayor of Antipolo City, former Rizal governor, DENR assistant secretary and LLDA general manager. Email: [email protected])