By Brian Campued
To ensure the safety of the citizens, particularly students, amid inclement weather, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Jonvic Remulla vowed to announce the suspension of government work and classes a day ahead of a typhoon’s arrival.
Remulla made the remark after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. authorized the DILG to issue government work and class suspensions before a storm’s onslaught, especially when the Office of the President has not made any announcement.
In a Malacañang press briefing Tuesday, the Interior Secretary said he used to announce such suspensions a day ahead when he was still the governor of Cavite.
“When I was governor of Cavite, I was always a day ahead; binabasa ko lahat. So we’ll always be a day ahead of everyone,” he said.
Meanwhile, the DILG chief stressed that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is now more adept at weather forecasting, despite relying on the U.S.’ Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Windy.app, and the Japan Meteorological Agency for better and more accurate data.
Data consolidated from PAGASA and other reliable sources, such as wind and rainfall predictions, would then be utilized to make a “forecast model” as basis for the announcement of suspensions.
“Ang titingnan namin is a four-day window kung saan ang path niya. Every day it changes eh, pero at least four days on we’re already warning the regions, the OCD (Office of Civil Defense) is alarmed already, the local governments are alarmed already—ito iyong posibleng mangyayari,” Remulla said.
“So, lahat ng information gina-gather namin. And we make a predictive model and the rain forecast model. Dati kasi ang ginagamit lang [storm] path and wind. Ngayon pati ang rain forecast sinasama,” he added.
—iro