THE Philippine Weathermen Employees Association (PWEA) has condemned what it described as a campaign to discredit the weather bureau by a group seeking to save the Aquino administration’s Project Noah.
PWEA President Ramon Agustin said it is wrong for the Project Noah partisans to denigrate the professionalism and capability of weather forecasters employed by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) to inveigle the Duterte administration into maintaining the project.
Agustin said PWEA is set to stage a protest rally to counter the attacks against weather forecasters and the agency, in general.
“We decry the malicious act of this group, which has been propagating intrigue and questioning the competence of Pagasa as a meteorological agency. We view this as an apparent attempt to discredit Pagasa to justify the extension of the project,” he added.
Agustin said the group claimed in the media Pagasa and its people lacked the capability to provide accurate and timely weather forecasts.
“These are vicious lies that cast doubt on the reliability of Pagasa forecasts and their credibility in protecting the lives of our countrymen. To solicit sympathy for the extension of the project at the expense of Pagasa is a dangerous tactic. Destroying the credibility of an institution whose mandate is to protect people’s lives is unpatriotic,” Agustin lamented.
“Portraying Pagasa in mainstream and social media as an incompetent agency surely caused an uproar among employees, even as they were designed to cause demoralization among our ranks,” he added.
We will frustrate them, Agustin vowed.
“Only recently, the Project Noah director, Mahar Lagmay, expressed doubt on Pagasa’s capability to absorb all the technical expertise developed by his project in a press statement. This is an intrigue intended to diminish our reputation,” Agustin said.
He said PWEA “will not allow any group or person to destroy the credibility of Pagasa”.