Government to continue strengthening frontline agencies to effectively respond to disasters

The government will continue to invest in strengthening frontline agencies to effectively respond to disasters and calamities.

Among the government's major agencies dealing with disasters and forecasting are the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and the Department of Science and Technology.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said among the major thrusts of the government is increasing the yearly budget of these agencies.

In the case of PAGASA, the government has upgraded the agency's equipment, according to Valte.

PAGASA, which had issues in the past, has received attention from the government. The DOST, PAGASA's mother agency, has tried to resolve issues on the allowances of its personnel with the help of the Department of Budget and Management. 

"We continue to invest in mechanisms that will help them make better tracks or make better predictions."

DOST's Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards or Project NOAH has been expanded, Valte said adding that efforts to complete hazard mapping will continue.

The government not only focuses on PAGASA, Valte said, the administration is also improving the capability of responders and rescuers to effectively respond to disasters.

"We continue to invest in the capacity for them to be able to do more," she said.

The government has also augmented PAGASA's budget from P396.5 million in 2014 to P3.46 billion for 2015, an increase of 526.5 percent.

The large chunk of PAGASA's 2015 allocation is intended for the purchase of state-of-the-art weather monitoring equipment, Valte explained.

The new budget will also go to personnel services of PAGASA. In 2014, PAGASA had an allocation of P352 million for personnel services, and in 2015 PAGASA got P434.4 million for personnel services, a 23.4 percent increase.

The country's weather bureau as well as other government front line agencies was once again in close scrutiny after several major typhoons hit the Philippines in 2014.

Among these weather disturbances were Typhoon Ruby that devastated Eastern Visayas as well as the more recent Typhoon Seniang that brought massive flooding and landslides in Mindanao and the Visayas regions. (PCOO News Release)