|
Philippine and Taiwanese officials on Tuesday announced the
completion of the repair and upgrading of the high-altitude weather
observation station of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in Tanay, Rizal via a
$170,000 grant from Taiwan’s National Science Council (NSC).
“The grant was one of the key items in the
2007 work program under our science and technology cooperation
agreement with Taiwan,” Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO)
Managing Director and Resident Representative Antonio Basilio said.
The Tanay Upper Air Station is very crucial in
measuring meteorological parameters associated with weather systems,
including tropical cyclones affecting Metro Manila in particular,
and the whole of Luzon in general. The upgrading of the upper
facilities at Tanay is also very important for Taiwan in monitoring
tropical activities and other weather systems that commonly affect
both the Philippines and Taiwan due to their geographical
proximities.
Inauguration rites for the rehabilitated Tanay
Upper Air Station project in Sitio Mayagay, Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal
were held on April 24 with Secretary Estrella Alabastro of the
Department of Science and Technology, Minister Chien-Jen Chen of the
Taiwan NSC, Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office Representative, Dr.
Hsin-Hsing Wu and Basilio.
The NSC offered to fund the repair and
rehabilitation of the Tanay Upper Air Station (Tanay Project) and
the research and development in the Rainfall Project.
Under the cooperation project, the Philippines
will share with Taiwan the collected information about the formation
and movement of typhoons to help Taiwan with disaster prevention
efforts as many typhoons that strike Taiwan originate in waters off
the Philippines.
The science and technology departments of Taiwan
and the Philippines also agreed to cooperate on a number of projects
this year from marine technology and biodiversity studies to
earthquake research.
-- Miguel Antonio De Guzman
|
