President Benigno Aquino III scolded the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Wednesday for failing to predict that Typhoon Basyang (Conson) would lash Metro Manila.
At an emergency meeting called by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) in Camp Aguinaldo, Aquino reminded PAGASA that its information is vital for government to prepare for potential disasters.
"That information it is sorely lacking and we have had this problem for quite a long time. ... You do what you are supposed to do... this is not acceptable. I hope this is the last time that we are all brought to areas different from where we should be," the president said.
PAGASA had predicted that Basyang would pound Northern and Central Luzon areas, but the weather disturbance lashed Metro Manila instead.
For his part, PAGASA head Prisco Nilo explained they had to update their bulletin every six hours to take into account "possible changes."
"We update the bulletin every six hours to take into account possible changes that were not earlier indicated by the mathematical models we are using as guidance in coming up with our forecast," he said.
Aquino arrived at Camp Aguinaldo after 8 a.m. Wednesday to get information on the damage caused by Basyang, and personally monitoring the progress of repair and recovery work in the aftermath of the typhoon.
Present during the meeting were Secretaries Voltaire Gazmin (Defense), Jose Almendras (Energy), Corazon Soliman (Social Welfare), and presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
As of 7:30 a.m., the dzBB report quoted Almendras as saying that 20 percent of power, or some 4,500 megawatts, had been restored to blackout-affected areas.
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