Science journalist calls for better media understanding of weather

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net LOS BAÑOS, Laguna--If there is one field that the Philippine media should focus on, it should be in bringing science and technology to the people and making them understand its effects on the country. This was the message delivered by Philippine Science Journalists (SciJourn) president Angelo Palmones during a workshop on weather forecasting conducted by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Palmones, who is also the station manager of radio DZMM, said one of the key problems of the media is lack of understanding of the various aspects of science, which makes it difficult for them to explain concepts to ordinary readers. In particular he cited the method of interpreting data delivered by PAGASA. In most cases, PAGASA is blamed for alleged wrong predictions regarding the effects of the storms and the subsequent damage that go with these. Defending PAGASA's bad reputation among government officials and the general public, Palmones said it is also the media's responsibility to gather the correct and most timely data from PAGASA, interpret them and also highlight the potential dangers from storm forecasts. Palmones gave as an example the activities before and during the devastating storm Milenyo (international name Xangsane) in September last year. Most government offices immediately ordered the suspension of work and classes prior to the storm's landfall while some private companies that received the news also closed their offices and strengthened some structures. However, other people resumed their daily activities not knowing the storm’s strength. "This is where the media failed at some point. We didn’t explain thoroughly what would happen. We don’t just say how strong the winds of an upcoming storm [are], we tell [them] what’s going to happen when these strike vulnerable structures," Palmones said. Palmones went as far as saying that PAGASA does not claim weather prediction but rather weather forecasting. "There is no such thing as perfect forecasting. Even the US and China have the latest weather forecasting equipment but they are still heavily struck by storms and the floods that happen afterwards." Palmones said that what matters is readiness prior to these storms, stressing that local government officials should make preparations in case of brewing storms. "We can't stop disasters from happening but we can reduce the human toll," he said.