TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Precise weather analysis will be enhanced following the approved plan of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to put up a Surface Synoptic Station at Mount Talama in the city.
Earlier, PAGASA North Luzon personnel paid a courtesy call to Gov. James Edduba to inform the provincial government about the approved plan that will contribute in improving the forecasts of weather conditions in the northern part of the country.
The establishment of the surface synoptic satellite station is part of PAGASA’s modernization plan and capacity building efforts which was presented to the provincial government by PAGASA North Luzon regional director Engr. Leo L. Bunag on February 7, 2023.
For his part, Gov. Edduba expressed his all-out support to the plan to establish the surface satellite station because of its vital role in strengthening disaster preparedness and ensuring the safety of Kalinga people, especially during weather disturbances.
The surface satellite station will provide real-time meteorological observations and transmits essential weather data to PAGASA’s central office for subsequent interpretation that forms part of the regular weather bulletin being released by the weather bureau.
PAGASA pointed out that this initiative will significantly enhance weather observation and disaster response that will ensure the issuance of timely advisories and warnings for the protection of life and property in the province and other parts of Northern Luzon.
Edduba claimed that the presence of the satellite surface station in the province will definitely be a big boost to the agriculture sector because farmers will be given the timely advise and warning on prevailing weather conditions and forecasted weather disturbances that will allow them to adopt the appropriate measures to spare their crops from damages inflicted by typhoons and heavy rains.
Kalinga, the rice granary of the Cordillera, is among the calamity-stricken provinces in the country that is frequently battered by typhoons that follow the northward track.
He expressed hope that the surface satellite station will be operational the soonest so that weather forecasting and observation will be more precise considering the negative impact of the weather disturbances to the province’s agriculture sector as experienced over the past several decades.
The governor also expressed the provincial government’s gratitude to PAGASA officials for selecting Kalinga as one of the priority areas for the establishment of the surface synoptic station, saying that it will be a privilege for the province to host one of the major weather instruments being used by the weather.
He stated that Mount Talama is a strategic site for the installation of the weather instrument considering that it is one of the highest elevations in the city overlooking most parts of the lowland communities in the province. By Dexter A. See
