Doppler Radar to be installed in Siquijor

CEBU, Philippines - The Visayas region will have its third Doppler Radar that will be installed soon in Siquijor, according to PAGASA-Visayas director Oscar Tabada on Tuesday.

Tabada told reporters the weather forecasting technology will cost P100 million. "We will put up a Doppler Radar in Siquijor. There is already budget for that from our central office," he said.

The Siquijor provincial government has been supportive of this plan, and that the Siquijodnons embraced the thought of having a radar in their province that will help them forecast weather and prepare for possible disasters, said Tabada.

The proposed Doppler Radar is a specialized one that makes use of the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. The Doppler effect is an increase or decrease in the frequency of sound, light or other waves as the source and observer move toward or away from each other.

The one in Siquijor will be the third one in the Visayas region. The two others–one in Guiuan town of Eastern Samar was destroyed by typhoon Yolanda while the one in Mactan island of Cebu had its signal processor busted for three weeks now.

Tabada hoped the ordered part for the radar in Siquijor will arrive next month in time for the last quarter where Cebu and Central Visayas will most likely be part of the typhoon path.

Having a Doppler Radar in Siquijor is good, said Tabada, "because this can cover Visayas and parts of Mindanao areas. So if the one in Cebu becomes unusable, as it is now, and the one in Mindanao, PAGASA can still get data from the Doppler in Siquijor radar," Tabada said.

"When I go to Manila this August, I will propose to the head office that for every purchase of equipment like Doppler Radar, there should be a standby equipment so that operations will not be hindered if something needs repair," Tabada added. — (FREEMAN)