Palace praises Pagasa forecasts, other gov’t agencies’ storm preparations

MANILA, Philippines—Amid worries that Typhoon “Pedring” (international name: Nesat) would be as devastating as Tropical Storm “Ondoy,” (international name: Ketsana) Malacañang on Monday praised the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) for its accurate weather forecasting, and other agencies for their prompt action in preventing disasters.

“We’ve updated, upgraded the quality of forecasting of Pagasa. That is a sea change. To put it humbly, we’re very accurate with respect to weather forecasting,’’ Secretary Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesperson, told a briefing.

Because of the accurate weather advisories, Lacierda said the Department of Social Welfare and Development has been efficient in pre-positioning food and non-food provisions in areas lying in the path of storms in Metro Manila or the countryside.

Lacierda also singled out the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for issuing prompt advisories or taking prompt action to save lives and property from the onslaught of storms.

“The NDRRMC has been on the ball in every storm, in every situation. We’ve always relied on them. They’ve been updated, whether it’s a storm or tsunami alert… The MMDA has been very vigilant with respect to concerns in Metro Manila,’’ he said.

President Aquino, now in Japan for a working visit, was being updated on the weather situation, among other matters, in the country, according to Lacierda.

While the Department of Education suspended classes in grade school and high school Monday afternoon in anticipation of Pedring’s heavy rain and high winds, Malacañang did not suspend work in the bureaucracy.

“There is no recommendation to suspend government work,’’ Lacierda said.

Ondoy dumped a record 341 mm of rainfall over a six-hour period on September 26, 2009 and flooded a wide swath of Metro Manila and nearby Luzon provinces. Nearly 500 people were killed and thousands left homeless.