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By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter
Senator Loren Legarda lauded Sunday the
grant of $381,000 made by the US government to the Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
It would help strengthen the country’s
readiness against natural disasters, and “We definitely welcome
the assistance, which comes at a time when we were facing severe
climate changes that threaten to produce potentially more
destructive weather disturbances in the months head,” Legarda
said.
She said the US assistance would complement her
Senate Bill 1397 which seeks to establish a six-year P5-billion
program for Pagasa to upgrade its staff, systems, facilities and
equipment.
“This way, we will improve in a big way
Pagasa’s readiness to protect life, property, the environment and
the economy against weather disturbances and other natural
hazards,” Legarda added.
She noted that the Philippines is much prone to
natural disasters, including powerful storms emanating from the
Pacific Ocean.
The Philippines also lies in the so-called Ring
of Fire, an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
encircling the Pacific Ocean basin.
Legarda has also filed a companion measure,
Senate Bill No. (SBN) 1890, to create a Climate Change Commission
that seeks to mitigate the problem of climate change brought about
by greenhouse gas emissions and human activities.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) report released February 2007 said that human
activities since 1750 have played a significant role in overloading
the atmosphere with carbon dioxide, thus retaining solar heat that
would otherwise radiate away.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Natural
Resources headed by Sen. Pia Cayetano will hear SBN 1890 on February
21.
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