Philippine gov\'t to upgrade weather, flood forecasting facilities

The Philippine government has earmarked 425 million pesos (9.88 million U.S. dollars) for the rest of the year to upgrade weather and flood forecasting facilities to enhance the state\'s ability to predict and prepare for disasters, a senior government official said Monday. Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio Abad said that 150 million pesos (3.48 million dollars)will be used to enhance the Doppler radar network of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), while 275 million pesos (6.39 million dollars)will be used to construct a state-of-the-art National Meteorological and Climate Center (NMCC). \"We are beefing-up our weather forecasting capabilities in order to minimize the economic and social impact of climate change, more importantly, to save human lives,\" Abad said. \"Better, real-time monitoring of typhoons, flooding and disasters will benefit sectors across the board, including aviation, maritime and shipping, agriculture and trade sectors whose operations are severely hampered by weather disturbances,\" he added. PAGASA will purchase and install three Doppler radars in Antique, Palawan, and the Zamboanga Peninsula along the western side of the Philippines, completing the Doppler radar network\'s coverage of the country.