TOL: Weather advisories should be simplified, easily understood by ordinary Filipinos
November 16, 2024
TOL: Weather advisories should be simplified, easily understood by ordinary Filipinos
Senator Francis 'Tol' Tolentino today reiterated his position that PAGASA's weather advisories should be simplified for ordinary Filipinos to help communities prepare better for oncoming typhoons.
"Weather advisories should be easily understood by ordinary Filipinos, that way we can save lives. These should be simplified and translated to local languages," Tolentino said in an interview on DWIZ.
"To describe the estimated amount of rainfall, PAGASA should avoid using millimeters or color coded warnings because these are technical terms that are difficult to understand," he added.
"We can say, for instance, how many drums of rainwater are forecast to be dumped in an area at a certain time due to the typhoon," added the senator, who has extensive experience in disaster mitigation and response as long-time Chair of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
He suggested to PAGASA to collaborate with linguistics experts from the University of the Philippines, mass media, and communication experts to make the weather agency's bulletins simpler and easier to comprehend for the ordinary Filipino.
In addition, Tolentino is pushing for the sharing of resources among local government units (LGUs), and between the public and private sectors to optimize the use of vital facilities and equipment needed to respond to disasters.
"LGUs can share the use of evacuation centers. When one province or cluster of LGUs is severely hit by a calamity, including its evacuation centers, the adjacent province, which was less affected, could share its facilities, and vice versa," he explained.
He also suggested that the Department of Public Works and Highways tap private construction firms for the deployment of heavy equipment, including backhoes and bulldozers, so that roads and bridges blocked by landslides could be cleared immediately to facilitate rescue and relief efforts.
Tolentino said resorting to such measures becomes even more urgent, and could save lives, as stronger and more frequent storms continue to batter the country.
TOL: Weather advisories ng PAGASA, pasimplehin, dapat ibaba sa masa
Nanindigan si Senator Francis 'Tol' Tolentino na dapat gawing simple at madaling maunawaan ng karaniwang Pilipino ang weather advisories ng PAGASA para mas makapaghanda ang mga komunidad sa mga paparating na bagyo.
"Buhay ang nakataya tuwing hahagupitin tayo ng bagyo. Kung kaya dapat pasimplehin at ibaba sa lebel na mauunawaan ng masa ang mga ulat ng PAGASA," ayon kay Tolentino sa isang panayam sa DWIZ.
"Halimbawa, kung isasalarawan ang dami ng babagsak na ulan, dapat nang iwasan ng PAGASA ang paggamit ng millimeters o color coding. Masyado itong teknikal at mahirap maunawaan," dagdag nya.
"Pwede nating sabihin, halimbawa, kung ilang drum ng tubig-ulan ang babagsak sa isang partikular na lugar sa isang takdang panahon dulot ng bagyo," ani Tolentino, na may malawak na karanasan sa paghahanda at pagresponde sa kalamidad bilang Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair.
Iminungkahi nya sa PAGASA na makipagtulungan sa linguistics experts ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, sa mass media, at mga eksperto sa komunikasyon para mas maunawaan ng karaniwang Pilipino ang mga ulat at abiso ng ahensya.
Dagdag pa rito, isinusulong din ni Tolentino ang mahigpit na kooperasyon sa pagitan ng local government units (LGUs), gayundin sa pagitan ng pamahalaan at pribadong sektor para sa paggamit ng mga rekursong kailangan sa pagresponde sa mga sakuna.
"Maaaring magkaroon ng 'sharing' sa paggamit ng evacuation centers. Halimbawa, kung ang isang probinsya o grupo ng LGUs ay sinalanta ng bagyo, kabilang ang evacuation centers nito, maaaring tumulong ang karatig na probinsya na 'di gaanong apektado para maipagamit ang kanilang mga pasilidad," paliwanag nya.
Iminungkahi rin nya sa Department of Public Works and Highways na makipagtulungan sa mga pribadong construction firms para mas mabilis na makapagpadala ng heavy equipment, gaya ng backhoes at bulldozers sa mga sinalantang lugar. Ito'y para sa agarang paglilinis ng mga kalsada o tulay na nabarahan ng mga gumuhong lupa at bato, para naman makadaan ang rescue at relief teams.
Aniya, dapat ikonsidera ang naturang mga hakbang sa lalong madaling panahon, lalo na't mas dumadalas at lumalakas ang mga bagyong dumadaan at nananalanta sa ating bansa.
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