The Philippine Online Chronicles

Tahanan sa Trece Martires, Cavite, nabagsakan ng puno. Mag-ina, patay. Tatlo nasugatan.

Metrorail trains suspended, thousands stranded.

Metro Manila and Luzon plunge into darkness. Some areas to endure two or three days more without electricity.

Ship captain hits head while abandoning ship; 12 barges and fishing boats, sunk, run aground. Captain’s body later found floating in a river at Limay, Bataan.

19 mangingisda hindi na nakauwi matapos pumalaot sakay ang kanilang bankang de motor.

Floods swept away a house in Batangas City, killing two children. Their companions  still  missing.

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Tales from Basyang. Unlike the fairytale- like stories the baby boomers of the 1950s and 1960s were regaled with by (Mga Kuwento ni) Lola Basyang, then a popular radio drama series based on the writings of Severino Reyes, this atmospheric Basyang wove grim tales of death, darkness, injury, and destruction.  (In 1997, the Lola Basyang stories were adapted on TV with a contemporary twist, starring Manilyn Reynes as Lola Basyang's now grown-up grand daughter out to perpetuate her grand mom's story-telling legacy.)

Typhoon Basyang, internationally code-named Coson, struck Metro Manila and Luzon Tuesday almost stealthily -- like the proverbial thief in the night. Most of the residents of the affected areas were caught flatfooted, clueless that they would be directly hit, and probably expecting only a mild weather disturbance. They were not prepared for the howling winds,  the persistent downpour, the sound of rushing floodwaters, the systems-wide power outage -- which for many were quite reminiscent of Typhoon Ondoy that wreaked unprecedented havoc not yet a year ago.

In its latest online news update at 9:58 am, July 15, Inquirer.net reports a death toll that has risen to 23. The fatalities, mostly from areas south of Metro Manila, drowned or were crushed by trees toppled by Basyang’s strong winds.

The figures on the missing also went up to 57, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Center (NDCC). These were mostly made up of fishermen whose vessels capsized or went missing during the storm.

In Manila, where fortunately there were no deaths nor injuries reported – which must have led the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) to assess the damage as minimal -- more than 200 families in low-lying and risk-prone areas were evacuated, including 135 families from the Baseco seashore area and 86 others from Tondo. In Muntinlupa, 134 people were similarly evacuated as a precautionary measure. There were knee-deep floods in certain areas as well as uprooted trees and toppled billboards and electric posts.

As night follows day, the usual recriminations ensued.

President Noynoy took the Pag-asa to task the next morning for failing to forecast Basyang’s course and behavior more accurately and neglecting to issue more frequent and up-to-date weather bulletins. Apparently, the President fumed helplessly in his Times street residence and must have gone sleepless the night before like the rest of the residents of Metro Manila.

“We rely on you to tell us where the problem is or where the potential problem areas are,” Pnoy told Pagasa officials sternly. "UNACCEPTABLE" was how he described the “significant error” in the Basyang forecast, referring to the earlier Pagasa bulletin that the typhoon would make a landfall in Aurora province.

For his part, Pagasa chief Prisco Nilo could only say that the bureau’s setup only permitted bulletins every six hours. He also pointed out that while the prediction was off the mark, the bureau did raise storm signal No. 2 in the metropolis.

Pnoy’s meeting with the Pagasa officials concluded with a warning against a repetition of the “significant error,” a directive for the bureau to henceforth issue accurate forecasts with a “lead time of 36 to 48 hours,” and a promise that the government would provide the equipment the bureau needed ( to improve its system of weather forecasting and issuing weather bulletins to the public) for as long as the bureau "lists them down."

Interviewed after the briefing with the President, Nilo said the Pagasa needs an automated system to allow swift transfer of data from field stations to the forecasting center in Quezon City. “We need a reliable communication system that cannot be disrupted despite bad weather conditions.” P1.8 billion is required to automate data transmission alone,” he reckoned.  Apparently, Pagasa has long made an inventory of what it needs.

Many commentaries hailed Pnoy for the tough stance he took when he dealt with the Pagasa officials. After all, this is just the beginning of the typhoon season, with Basyang probably providing the much-needed “dress rehearsal” – even if was a costly one. The Philippine Star called Typhoon Basyang a “warm-up.” “The weaknesses in the nation’s response must be identified and remedied before the next major disaster strikes.” Basyang could be the catalyst, having provided the jolt and the nudge --  for such crucial steps to be taken -- now.

The tough stance and the decisive action that should follow are two different matters, obviously. No doubt, Pagasa’s critical role in disaster preparedness in this disaster-prone country on the one hand and its underequipped, undermanned state on the other could not have been lost on past administrations. Still, year in and year out, the wherewithal to improve facilities and upgrade its staff have not been made available.

The Inquirer editorial pointed out: "Getting the necessary equipment as well as the best people is of course quite another thing. Still, we have to get there.”

Again on modernizing Pagasa, a radio broadcaster was heard to have asked on air: Saan kayang kamay ng Diyos ang pagkukuhanan (ng pera)?

Still, on Pagasa:  There is talk going around Pagasa has such obsolete tracking devices it simply relies on other countries' (Japan's for example) published weather predictions in doing its own forecast!  True or false? And can it really learn a thing or two from an amateur meteorologist based in Naga who correctly predicted Basyang's tracks in his own website?

It seems true, however, that Pagasa did ask for high-tech Doppler radars -- devices capable of measuring the amount and density of rainfall that comes with typhoons --  five years and 54 typhoons ago.

Pnoy has almost categorically committed to providing government support to Pagasa's modernization needs.  Here's another test case of the new president's resolve --  beyond the obliteration of the wang-wang.